Fear, Not Love
by Merl Laurence
Summary: Steve's "apparent death" elicits certain feelings: some strong, some not so much, some slow burning. Steve/Kono at the heart of it, but some Danny moments thrown in for good measure, as well as Lori and Chin.
1. Looking Pretty Good, For A Dead Guy

Fear, Not Love

Disclaimer: I do not own H50.

Spoilers: Minor references to S1:Ep24 – Oia'i'o and S2:Ep10 – Ki'ilua  
>Summary: Steve's "apparent death" elicits certain feelings: some strong, some not so much, some slow burning. SteveKono at the heart of it, but some Danny moments thrown in for good measure, as well as Lori and Chin.

A/N: PLEASE note the rating – M for a reason. I know, this is not like what I've written before. What can I say? New year, new Merl, new writing style. I thought I'd give it a shot. Regardless if I needed it or not – because we all need to challenge ourselves once in a while. Plus, I was heavily inspired by the wonderful writings of qirjanran and badhairdays.

"People react to fear, not love – they don't teach that in Sunday School, but it's true."  
>- Richard Nixon<p>

Looking Pretty Good, For A Dead Guy

# # #

Leo'ole Street  
>Waipahu, Oahu<p>

When they get to the scene, Danny is practically in tears. He's being held back from a burning entryway of a crumbling two story building in the old industrial area of lower Waipahu. Chin and the firefighter restraining Danny are doing their best, barking orders to their respective divisions – police are stopping, redirecting traffic and firefighters are on the verge of moving in, already having laid out hoses, and strapped on their air tanks.

Kono hears a choked sob from Lori beside her and looks at her a moment before rushing forward to join Chin and the other firefighter as they drag Danny further and further away. They're directed around and behind a firetruck, just in case the building blows.

Meanwhile Lori stands back, frozen in _what_ exactly, Kono doesn't know. Fear? Desperation? Loss? It's not like Lori to be that way, and Kono knows it.

Danny is struggling against them – her – and accidentally clocks her one. He doesn't even realize it as he's mid rant, screaming about how Steve could still be in the building, before Chin finally raises his voice and yells at him.

"Brah! Danny, stop! Stop. If we're gonna find out if Steve is really okay, you're going to need to calm the fuck, down."

Chin shoves Danny hard, for emphasis, against the hood of a cruiser, and that seems to do the trick. Danny snaps out of his overly girly response to his partner possibly being barbecued and pulls himself together. He glances at Kono first, not even registering how she's wiping blood off of her lip, and then Chin. Lori, who has finally snapped out of whatever she was in, finally joins them.

Danny rubs hard at the quickly drying tears and snot on his face and runs shaky hands through his hair. "Fucking, Steven," he breathes. "He went in alone, I wasn't even here yet. I saw his truck and then the building is completely on fire and then Honolulu FD is here in seconds," Danny explains. "The asshole deserves to die for doing shit like this to me."

"Shut up! Shut up, Danny!"

It's Lori, screaming hysterically and launching herself towards Danny, fists out, swinging blindly.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!"

"Stop!"

"What the fuck?!"

"Get her off of me!"

And then Kono is there, pulling Lori's arms behind her and Chin is between Danny and Lori, pushing a hand against Danny's chest and comically enough, a hand against Lori's forehead. Kono's grip drops to Lori's waist purposefully and then she and Chin watch the show as Lori swings her fists forward, like a fucking windmill and Danny, actually starts to laugh. Chin can't help himself either and he starts to shake and chuckle.

Eventually, Kono takes pity on Lori and wraps her arms around the girl's waist, pulling her back, whispering into her ear to calm down. She turns Lori around to envelope her in a motherly hug and then starts rubbing soothing circles across her back. Kono thinks Lori's reaction to Steve's possible death is pretty damn interesting, since she doesn't even have an idea how to, herself.

But that's not entirely true.

Kono has some idea – one that she really doesn't want to admit to herself because then she'd be some young, lovesick, idiot of a schoolgirl. And then she remembers Lori in her arms and shrugs internally. One per task force please, otherwise the guys would gouge their own eyes out with spoons or even better, just kill themselves.

Chin is still over by the police cruiser with Danny, who's calmed down considerably. He's asking for the details again from the distraught partner when the two of them hear the firefighters yelling. "Brah!" "Eh! Detective!" "Five-0!" They move to go, but not before Chin throws a sympathetic smile towards his cousin as she continues to comfort Lori. Kono squints at him like she would beat his ass for whatever comes out of his mouth next so he just turns and follows Danny as they rush around the firetruck to find out whatever it is the firefighters are calling them for.

Danny can't help but acknowledge the excruciatingly painful thought that maybe, they found Steve's body. As he and Chin round the truck, they see emerging from a previously missed alleyway, a firefighter and... Steve?

The Five-0 leader is sporting a small bloody gash on his forehead and looks slightly disheveled, but otherwise his limbs are still intact, he's not overly bloodied, charred or toasted and the bastard isn't even limping or coughing. He's just – fine.

_Peachy_, even.

So naturally, Danny loses it.

"You sonuvabitch!" Danny howls, rushing forward. "What the fuck?!" he exclaims, looking like he's ready to pummel the guy, and then of course he does.

Chin's there and once again he's pulling Danny back, hating that he seems to be doing a lot of the same thing lately when it comes to his – _this –_ blonde team member. Steve stumbles back slightly and the firefighters around them shake their heads, probably thinking to themselves, _haoles are so crazy_ or maybe, _damn, those Five-0s are so crazy_.

Steve is rubbing his jaw as he watches the perplexed firefighters get back to work and then he's eyeballing Danny who stares back, unapologetic.

"What the hell was that for?" Steve asks, because he's really kind of amused.

Danny makes to lunge at Steve again, if only to wipe the stupid smile off of his face, but Chin grabs him and forces him back a step. "We thought you were dead, boss," Chin explains, a hint of relief evident in his voice. He's still got a restraining hand on Danny's shoulder, who's trying to get at Steve, but Chin glares at him and Jersey finally seems to get it through his thick skull and backs off, pacing away.

"Oh." Steve nods and then quirks a brow. "Is that what this is, Danno? You thought I was dead and you realized you'd miss me?"

"Hey. Fuck you pal," Danny says hotly, jabbing a finger in the air, towards the general direction that Steve's standing. "And yeah, as a matter of fact asshole, yeah. Yeah, I did. What is the matter with you, huh? What would I tell Grace?"

"Danny, come on," Steve says, incredulous.

Chin decides to step in between the two partners and shakes his head. "Boss, he says when he got here, you were nowhere to be seen. He figured you ran into the burning building." Even as Chin's saying it, they all seem to realize how ridiculous the scenario actually sounds.

Steve looks from Chin to Danny and is snorting now, trying not to laugh at his partner's incredibly ludicrous jump to conclude that a Navy SEAL would actually be stupid enough to enter a burning building unprepared. He's totally overplaying it too.

Then again, Steve's all too thankful that doesn't have to tell the two men before him that he did indeed enter the building without backup. But, after the intense heat and a falling beam had him reliving his childhood spent on the beaches of Oahu; his first time with Jenny Wainau; his mother's death; his last water exercise off of Coronado with his SEAL team; his dad's death; his lunch yesterday at Kamekona's shrimp truck with the team – he's not at all embarrassed to admit to himself that he made a misstep.

Good thing he found the back exit.

Danny steps around Chin and gets in Steve's face. "You're a fucking moron, you know that right? Making us worry and freak out like that. You could have sent a text or called or I don't know Steven, maybe _wait_ for me, the next time?"

Steve watches as Danny's face turns red from something other than the Hawaiian sun. "Seriously, Danny?" he asks, no longer amused with the mother-hen before him. "Let me ask you this, Danno. How the hell did you think HFD knew to be here?"

"That explains why HFD got here so quickly in the first place," Chin says, putting two and two together. He's thinking of giving up on being the peace maker with these two.

Danny's understanding and realization is overshadowed by his angry expression turning sour at Steve's obvious awesomeness. "That was you? You called it in?" He doesn't know what annoys him more – the fact that Steve thinks so well on his feet or the fact that Steve seems to constantly survive his own recklessness.

"Yes, Daniel. Look at where the fuck we are. Waipahu is on the edge of all this dry land, and if this fire got out of control, the damage would be immeasurable." Steve hears Chin snort off to his left. He gives the older man a smirk then crosses his arms across his chest and turns his attention back to Danny, waiting expectantly for the guaranteed comeback.

Instead, Danny appears pensive. "Immeasurable," he repeats, shaking his head.

Steve swears he can hear Danny mumble something along the lines of _un-fucking-believable_ to himself and he smiles, loving the reaction he's getting from his constantly cranky partner.

Chin's had enough at this point. Steve's not dead and Danny will deal with it. So he snorts again and claps Steve on the shoulder, conveying unspoken words of luck and patience onto his team leader as he backs away to let the women of Five-0 know that their boss is okay.

Danny watches Chin go and turns back to Steve, his hands in prayer, bobbing away in front of him. "Look, you neanderthal, don't get me wrong here, I'm glad you're alive. Really. And for your information, yes. Yes, I would miss you. But would you please, please, not do something like this again? Please?" he asks rhetorically, because it really doesn't matter what Steve's response is. The fact of the matter is, Steve would do something like this again, anyway.

Steve's watching Danny's gesticulations, and although they were becoming downright predictable, he actually finds them endearing. "Okay," he responds, shrugging.

"Okay?" Danny's unable to hide his shock at first, but decides to roll with it. Besides the building's still on fire and _Mauka_ winds were starting to cause the smoke to pool around them. "Thank you, Steven."

"Don't mention it, I'll try harder," Steve says but then he's grinning and he can tell that it's clearly making Danny nervous. "Can I ask you something, though, Danny?"

Danny's scrubbing a hand through the back side of his head and replies, "yeah babe, shoot."

"Are those tear tracks on your face?" Steve asks, all innocent.

"Fuck you."

"Aww, Danno really?" Steve's wearing a shit-eating grin that gets bigger.

Danny's pissed, but only slightly. He doesn't really care so much that Steve's happy about him crying over him but he hates it when Steve gloats, so he says, "screw you man. I know you don't need me to remind you about the fire in that building over there and all the smoke around us, do I? Huh?"

Steve's shrugging and about to open his mouth to reply when they hear Lori screaming Steve's name.

"Steve! Oh my God, you're alive!" Lori's running towards him and throws her arms around his neck and hugs him and Steve thinks back to the time she jumped out of the chopper in North Korea and did the exact same thing. His hands come up automatically to hold her and he's touched and a little uncomfortable at how she's actually sobbing into his shoulder.

Looking over Lori's head he sees Chin rejoining Danny, and the two of them actually take a step back. Steve's a little ashamed at her fawning over him and can see by the expressions on their faces that they're enjoying the display. Danny's quietly laughing, he's got an arm across his gut, the other on Chin's shoulder for support while Chin's eyebrows are practically popping off of his forehead. Steve spies Kono smirking at him and Lori and watches her intently as she comes closer.

"Boss? Looking pretty good for a dead guy," Kono says as she arches a brow and smirks.

Steve thinks, _now that's more like it_, but watches with some disappointment as Kono veers away and casually walks off. He brings his hands up to Lori's arms and pushes her gently away from him so he can look at her. "I'm okay Lori, thanks," he says as he smiles self-consciously.

Lori seems to remember where she is, who she's with and pulls herself together. She's acted the fool, she knows, but she can't seem to help herself. "Are you sure?" Lori asks Steve, sputtering in a babying tone and she hates herself immediately for sounding that way.

Steve's eyebrows shoot up like Chin's and he regrets it instantly, as Danny who is watching him like a hawk guffaws at the expression he let slip. "Yeah. Yeah, I'm good," Steve replies, even more uncomfortable. He's never, ever, really liked this kind of attention. Sure he's okay with commanding a SEAL team and talking with the press about Five-0 situations and all that, but a grown woman coddling him was kind of nauseating. Something like that should only be done by a man's mother and since his died when he was a teenager, it was something he'd come to live without.

Lori's body language suddenly changes, she's squaring her shoulders and straightens her posture. "But – but what happened?" she asks, because she's sure they'd all like to know, and she needs to find a way to redeem herself.

"It was a trap," Kono answers for Steve as she returns to the team. During the apparent love-fest she touched base with HFD. Chin and Danny, decide to stop being prepubescent boys and move forward, putting on serious, professional faces. "Which is kind of obvious, don't you guys think?" Kono asks, looking pointedly at Steve who just shrugs at his faux pas.

What was it Steve said last year? _This isn't a democracy, it's a benevolent dictatorship._ Right.

"No victims in the building," Kono continues, again looking pointedly at Steve, who at least this time, really does look ashamed, if only for less than half a second. "They're doing their best to put everything out completely and quickly. Of course they'll need to run an arson investigation before we find anything conclusive, but it looks like whatever they used as an incendiary device went off sooner than expected."

Danny smacks Steve in the shoulder. "What'd I tell you, huh? It could have been worse."

"Yeah, boss. Otherwise, you'd be what Max calls a 'crispy-critter'," Chin cracks, apparently the normally stoic and quiet man, can't help himself this time.

Steve grunts and rolls his eyes and notices that Lori's still standing a little too close. He looks to Chin who's frankly, some kind of Jedi Master when it comes to these things. So Chin, corrals Danny and Lori into dealing with the cleanup. In a matter of minutes, Danny's back talking with HFD and Lori's talking to HPD, because those two, seem to need the distraction more than anyone.

Steve's ready to go, he's had enough barbed tongue-play with Danny and Lori's obvious displays of concern, _concern_ _him_. So he wants out and he owes his father's former partner big time, maybe something along the lines of more time off so that Chin and Malia could actually go somewhere nicer, other than an outer island.

Kono's watching Steve curiously and asks, "you okay, Steve?" She's kind of happy he's alive. Of course, she'd never show it like Lori did a few minutes ago. But she does acknowledge that getting to watch him move and talk like a living, breathing being – still – is sufficient cause to be happy.

"Yeah," he answers as he turns to glance at her, then as if suddenly thinking it, he asks, "you wanna take a dead guy for a drink?"

Kono shrugs, all tough and nonchalant. _Fuck, yes._ "Sure," she replies smoothly.

# # #

A/N: Hope you guys like it so far!

Glossary:  
>Haole (pronounced: how-lee) – (I know this may be unnecessary, but anyway) Caucasian foreigner<br>Mauka (pronounced: maow-kah) – mountain, towards the mountain


	2. Blame It On The Alcohol

Fear, Not Love

Disclaimer: I do not own H50.

Spoilers: S2:Ep5 - Ma'ema'e  
>Summary: Steve's "apparent death" elicits certain feelings: some strong, some not so much, some slow burning. SteveKono at the heart of it, but some Danny moments thrown in for good measure, as well as Lori and Chin.

A/N: Just Steve and Kono in this chapter. Please let me know what you all think. BTW, the response has been overwhelming, thanks so very much for the reviews/comments, alerts and OMG, fave adds already?! Even if I haven't personally responded, I very much appreciate the review/comment.

Blame It On The Alcohol

# # #

Tsunami Sam's  
>Honolulu<p>

The bar Steve picks is on North King Street and not their usual hangout.

It suits Kono fine, since their go to is situated in Waikiki and she can do without the tourists right now. Plus, Steve doesn't need to know, Kono reasons, that the times she's passed them up on their offers for after work drinks, she's actually come here because she kind of likes it. The odd shape of the room, the feel of it, the people, all of it. It doesn't really matter with who she comes with, does it? Or who she leaves with, whichever.

And if Steve picks up on the overly familiar, welcoming greeting that Kono is getting from the bartender as they sit at the bar, he doesn't let on. Besides, Steve refuses to be taken to the hospital and since he was able to tell her today's date, his own name, her name, and the president's name – she figures it's okay and cuts him some slack. He was after all, almost turned into _kalbi_ today and as much as she likes barbecue, she kind of likes her boss the way he is – as hard headed as he may be.

Kono's watching him as he grabs his beer and takes a long and apparently, satisfying pull and finds herself smiling. "It's good," she says before taking a sip from her own bottle, her brown pools never leaving his bright blues.

"It sure the fuck is," Steve says exhaling heavily, and letting go of whatever tension he's been carrying since Waipahu, melt away.

"I wasn't talking about the beer, boss." She's noting the way Steve's eyes seem to roam across her face and she smirks. "It's good – _that you're not dead_." Kono tilts her bottle in his direction. Another smile tugs at her mouth, but this one she won't let go, because losing Steve is kind of a serious thing.

Steve snorts and turns on his stool to completely face her. "Yeah?" he asks rhetorically, because he knows he messed up earlier today. But then as he's looking at her, he realizes something. "You're so much like Chin, you know that?"

Kono's mid gulp and almost chokes. "Oh yeah? How so?" she asks smoothly. She's hoping he didn't catch how she almost had beer coming out of her nose, because she suddenly finds herself filling with pride at the comparison.

He huffs a little and glances at the kitschy, tropical decor of the bar before looking back at her. "I make it out that alleyway and Danny's going ballistic," Steve starts, his smile coming out a bit lopsided. "He's screaming – knocks me one in the jaw," he continues explaining as he points at himself. "But Chin? He's the complete opposite." Steve's studying Kono now and pauses. "Like how you were, from Lori," he finally says.

Kono rolls her eyes as well as the beer bottle between her hands. "Yeah. Well, I figured two hysterical girly responses were all that you could handle," she says laughing, eyes crinkling. "It was definitely all _I could_ handle."

Steve chuckles and shakes his head, because poor Danny, he can't help the way he reacts. If anything, Steve's touched, because he knows how much Danny means to him and it's nice, knowing that the sentiment is reciprocated.

Lori on the other hand, he finds confusing. In North Korea, he didn't really give her reaction to his rescue a second thought, because it was an emotionally charged situation. Who was he kidding? Today was as well, so – maybe he gets it. He gets why Lori was in tears. But, as he's looking at Kono now, he's wondering why her reaction was so different. And why it matters. "Thanks, I appreciate it," he says with a small grin.

It's not often, not lately, but she can't help her dimpled smile. "Don't mention it, boss."

More than a few stories and drinks later, Kono is crunching away on _kakimochi_ and about to take a swig of her beer when she notices that Steve's been blatantly staring at her for some time now.

"What? I got a booger or something, brah? Because you can tell me, you know that right?" Kono asks this as she surreptitiously wipes at her face and Steve has got to smile at her. She's rolling her eyes at him again and instead stands suddenly to lean over the bar to try and catch a glimpse of herself in the bar mirror. Steve's eyes catch on the slip of tan skin on her side, between the hem of her t-shirt and the waistline of her jeans and he finds himself wondering what it would be like to reach out and run a finger along there. But before the liquid courage he's consumed kicks in, Kono gives up and instead waves over the bartender.

"Eh, Kimo!" she calls to the Samoan-Hawaiian dude that owns and mans the little dive they're in. Funny, of course it's one of those places bearing a name of a make-believe individual – there never was a 'Tsunami Sam'. There's only Kimo – who's kind of big, like Kamekona, but not so much, because the area behind the bar is sort of small. And his personality, well, also not so much like Kamekona, because this place is not exactly on the good side of town and he's always throwing some kind to trash out at the end of the night.

"Wassup Kono?" Kimo asks as he nears her and Steve. "What, more beer already? Damn, girl," he says but realizes that's not what she called him over for. He quirks a brow and looks from her to Steve, his eyes hesitating on the bloody patch on Steve's forehead before dragging his gaze back to focus on her.

"Brah, I got anything on my face? My drinking partner here is being a punk," she adds as she sticks her face out for him to examine as best he can in the dim light.

Kimo grins, "nah, sistah, you good." Steve notices that he doesn't really get too close to Kono and that the guy seems a little uncomfortable. Instead, Kimo gestures with a thumb to Steve. "Him, he's got blood on his forehead, you tell him that?"

Steve chuckles again and shakes his head, taking a sip of his beer as he watches Kono's features light up at Kimo's observation.

She sits back down, grinning. "Oh, he knows, don't you, Steve?" Kono asks playfully, because she's a little drunk and she doesn't fucking care. "I gave it to him." Now she's embellishing and thinks it's funny.

"Ho, you beating up boys again?" Kimo asks, looking as frightened as a two-hundred and seventy-five pound Polynesian man with tribal tattoos up and down his neck, arms and legs, can.

Steve is all out laughing now and Kono smirks. "_Again_?" Steve asks, because it's not that much of a surprise for him. Not really. He's seen her beat up 'boys' _and_ 'girls' before, and admittedly Kono is pretty fantastic at it.

"Kimo, I'm a cop remember?" Kono asks, leaning on the bar and doing her best to appear menacing.

The guy gulps nervously. "Yeah, I know. But, him too?" Kimo's pointing at Steve, clearly looking him over, taking note of size, muscle, and probable strength. He looks as if he doesn't like what he sees.

"I'm her boss," Steve replies seriously, surprised the guy hasn't seen him on the news. Kimo pulls nervously at the collar of his t-shirt and pales, which is saying a lot. Steve is shrugging, because it looks like this bartender, who may be used to seedier clientele, is more afraid of cops like Kono than anything else.

Kimo grabs two more Longboards and plops them on the counter in front of Steve and Kono and smiles tentatively. "On the house," he says, then, "and I took care of your tab, Kono. You let me know if you need more – again, on the house." He winks and walks back to the end of the bar to clean something, anything, that makes him look too busy to bother.

Steve nudges Kono and she almost jumps because it feels like he just electrocuted her. He doesn't notice but has to ask, "tab?"

Kono snorts and waves a hand dismissively before her. "Whatever, don't judge me," she says, but she can't help but smile. "Thanks for playing along, Steve." She finishes her bottle as he does his and they move on to the new beers.

"Not a problem," Steve says. He smacks his lips after taking a sip and contemplates the woman next to him. "Seems like you like playing it 'loose and crazy' though."

Kono smiles mischievously. "Don't you? I've had Kimo going for weeks now. Every time I come in, I do something different just to see how much fear I can put in him." She can't help the habit she had developed from when she was much younger, and fed up with constantly getting picked on by the bullies at school.

Steve shakes his head, knowing that Kono is referring to his form of intimidation and interrogation. "The guy outweighs you ten-fold." He points out.

"I know," Kono says, laughing. She's not the least bit afraid of Kimo, it seems. "But look at him, he's not even looking this way, anymore."

Steve is cocky, he knows it, and it's bullshit when people say he's just 'very confident'. "It could just be _me_," he says as he shrugs, because he really likes challenging her sometimes.

"You wish," Kono says then, snorting loudly and not giving a shit about how unladylike she's appearing. _Wow Steve, really_?

He's grinning. "So what are you saying? You want to be like me or something?" Steve knows, if it were anybody else, he might just feel a little flattered. But, since this is Kono, he's wondering if he should feel afraid – for her. Because Steve thinks, after today, he'd be really pissed if she got seriously hurt or something, and he kind of wonders why that is.

She's digging a thumbnail into the beer label of her bottle. "Fuck no," she says. But then she looks at him again, all business and seriousness. "I know what I'm doing," she says confidently.

"Not all the time, no one does." He's saying this, meets her gaze, and tries to somehow convey the sincerity of the statement. Because no matter how much of a bad-ass Kono is, Steve still can't help but feel the need to be there for her. Especially because he wasn't there for her when she got sucked into Fryer's business.

"But you would never know, would you?" Kono asks and hopes that Steve doesn't take it as a jab for when she worked for Fryer. She can see the flash of something in his eyes and shakes her head, hoping to convey that she's over it, she really is. "Besides, what good will it do, if I panic when I don't know what I'm doing?" she asks, because it's a reasonable question.

He's smirking, understanding what she's saying, and nods his head, agreeing. "You're right. But it's not a bad thing, to appear to need help sometimes." He says, watching her tilt her head back to drink more of her beer, his eyes inadvertently lingering on the way her throat moves as she swallows.

Kono puts her bottle back onto the counter and arches a brow at Steve. "Speak for yourself."

Steve laughs again, full, joyful, and alive. So does Kono and he knows she's completely right, too. He's pretty happy that she's now laughing along with him, despite the looks that they're getting from the barflies and other clientele. He's leaned closer to her, wanting to feel her so he rests his shoulder against hers as they're both shaking from laughter.

Kono's enjoying the weight of him on her shoulder and finds her thoughts straying to wonder about other body parts and she mentally kicks herself. Seriously? She's getting overheated and feeling really, really, buzzed, and she's getting closer and closer to doing something dangerous and wrong with Steve. So, she stands suddenly and says, "I'm out." Just like that. She doesn't miss the disappointment on his face, and wonders briefly why he doesn't bother to mask that shit. Of all the times, when the team is wondering what the boss is thinking, this moment is what he chooses to let her see?

But Kono's up now, and making her way around Steve's form, thanking God she can still walk straight. Then again, its something she always could do, no matter how much alcohol she consumes. Go figure. She's brushing past him purposefully, and slips out the bar and into the warm night. A few gulps of cooling air and she's effectively fought off some of the headier effects of the alcohol in her system. She's not driving, she knows that much, she'll have to come and get her Cruze tomorrow morning and it's then that she notices that Steve's standing right behind her.

"Boss, you okay getting a cab?" she asks as she flags one down. If Kono had a 'flee' response, it would be in overdrive and she wouldn't have even bothered to check on his transportation home.

Steve's not the tiniest bit wobbly and he's looking at her with such – wait, is that _yearning _? "Sure. We're sharing?" he asks. He's sounding so hopeful and he's not the least bit ashamed.

Kono turns and gives him an incredulous look. Again, he's an open book with his feelings. What the hell? "No. Sorry, not a good idea and you know it." She's trying to appear stern and final, but who was she kidding? If he pushed, she might just fold, because thinking Steve was dead earlier today was starting to really hit her.

Steve's shrugging and shoving his hands in his pockets. He's pulled himself together – _Smooth Dog_, whatever. He knows, Kono was right about several things today, and you could definitely add this to the list. But frankly, he doesn't give a shit. "Can't fault a guy for trying," he says, his smile one-sided as he watches a cab slow and pull to the curb.

Kono's reaching for the door and opens it but doesn't get in just yet. "But we both know, you're not just any guy, remember? You're my boss." She's standing there before him and telling it like it is, like how it has to be. She should just get in the cab and go.

But clearly Steve's got another idea, and he looks away briefly down the south side of King Street before looking back at her. "You can't tell me you give a fuck, right now."

The cab driver's waiting and Kono knows she can blame what she's about to do on the alcohol, but she knows she'd do it without, as well. She turns to Steve to face him fully, reaches out to grab his face, and pulls him closer to give him a searing kiss. "You're right, I don't. But this can't ever happen," she says in a pained whisper after pulling away. And then she's in the cab, slamming the door shut, and leaving Steve out in front of the bar, alone.

# # #

A/N: So yeah, I hope you guys like this chapter as well. I don't feel it's as strong as the first. As always, feel free to leave me a note!

Glossary:  
>Kalbi or Galbi (pronounced: call-bee) – marinated Korean barbeque beef (sometimes pork) short-rib<br>kakimochi (pronounced: kah-kee-mo-chee) – Japanese, baked rice cracker, coated in a soy glaze before baking and sometimes covered in dried seaweed

And also Waipahu (pronounced: why-pah-hoo) is a town on the west side of the island of Oahu.


	3. You Can Chew Me Out Later

Fear, Not Love

Disclaimer: I do not own H50.

Spoilers: Nothing specific really.  
>Summary: Steve's "apparent death" elicits certain feelings: some strong, some not so much, some slow burning. SteveKono at the heart of it, but some Danny moments thrown in for good measure, as well as Lori and Chin.

A/N: So, first of all – Sorry for the delayed update (Happy Chinese New Year? Had to help with Pop's New Year's Dinner, and boy did that suck up a lot of time). Secondly, this chapter's looooong and all over the place – yeesh – but I wanted to write these passages because what I originally loved (and still do) about Five-0, is the team aspect, and I can't seem to write this Steve/Kono Fic without Chin, Danny, and now Lori chiming in with their two-cents somewhere. And finally, it may not seem like it, but this is a Steve/Kono Fic. Really.

Thank you, as always, dear readers for the fantastic reviews/comments, PMs (Ghostrider for the constant support), alerts and fave adds.

You Can Chew Me Out Later

# # #

Oahu  
>(all over the frakkin' place, in buildings and in cars)<p>

Kono pulls into her parking spot with three minutes to seven on her watch and thinks she'll make it into the building, up the stairs and into HQ by the skin of her teeth. She didn't count on traffic on King Street, and remembers belatedly that H1 has been undergoing construction for some time now. Though the real issue is, if she doesn't arrive at work in her own car, then Chin would start interrogating her, and fuck-it-all if she didn't particularly feel like answering questions today.

She's pushing past the main doors and bounding up the steps two-by-two when she hears, "Kono!'

It's Danny and she actually finds herself breathing a sigh of relief. He's calmly walking up the steps towards her and looks at her curiously. "Relax, didn't see everybody's car in the parking lot yet, did you?" he asks, a little too smug for her taste, and for some reason this sets her off.

Kono is rolling her eyes and turning to continue up the stairs, when she says before thinking, "keep it up Danny and I'll wipe that shit-eating grin off your face with my fist."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. What is with the attitude?" Danny asks as he puts a hand out to stop her. He's clearly a little surprised by her surliness.

"Eleven? Danny, eleven times you called my phone last nite? And Chin? Eight?" she questions.

Realization is dawning on Danny's features and he doesn't look pleased. "You think that's too much? Huh? Is it? Because I called Steven double the amount of times I called you," he says as he's jabbing a finger towards her. "I'll give you one guess if he answered my calls or not. Or, maybe you already know the answer to that one, huh?" he asks bitingly.

Kono's lip curls into a snarl, but she doesn't answer him because people are watching and she turns to keep climbing the stairs to the offices. Danny continues to follow behind her, and he apparently doesn't care about the show they're giving because he asks, "what the fuck? You guys just go ahead and disappear? Make up some bullshit excuse about taking him to the hospital and then not go there and not answer your fucking phones?"

Kono's pushing through the doors of HQ with Danny right behind her, and then she whirls on him. "Jesus Danny, just relax. Fuck." _Fuck_.

Danny's hands start to flail about and he assumes his classic tough guy stance. "Excuse me? My partner almost dies and you want me to fucking 'relax'?" he asks. He's shoving his index finger at her face and she has to fight every urge in her body and mind, to not reach forward, grab his finger and bite, twist or break the offending digit.

Kono scoffs, leans her weight on to one foot and brings a hand up to rest on her hip. "He didn't 'almost' die Danny, _you_ lost track of him," she points out, thrusting a finger back at him.

Danny throws his hands up in response and starts to pace. "He's not a fucking dog, Kono," he says, as his voice continues to rise.

"I know that, Danny," Kono snaps. "But don't fucking bite my head off because you assumed the worst and don't know where Steve is, or was, or whatever. We've got the tech here to find people, remember? And if you really wanted to find him, you could have put a BOLO out on him too."

He stops his pacing and gets into her face. "Wait, what? You weren't with him?" Somehow, Danny's tone is more accusing now than when they first met on the steps leading up to the offices.

"I was, partly," Kono answers coolly with a shrug. "He wanted a drink, I got him a drink," she explains.

Danny seems a little taken aback. "Wait – you went to a _bar_!" he exclaims, as he's still standing in her space, glaring back.

Kono, who at this point is most likely neck and neck in the battle for the 'most-stubborn-Five-0-team-member', doesn't back down. "Yeah," she says, as if Danny's the most obtuse person she's ever met. Ever.

"Yeah?" he asks as he throws his hands up and steps back. "Yeah. Okay, that's just fucking great. And then what?"

She knows, somewhere in the back of her mind, that Danny is just trying to figure out what the deal is with Steve. She shrugs again. "And then nothing," Kono responds, noncommittally.

"Nothing?" Danny's giving Kono a look of disbelief that she feels he could possibly patent and maybe make royalties off of.

He's opened his mouth and about to continue his rant when they both hear, "_nothing_?" This time it's Chin that's asking, and he clearly catches both of Kono and Danny off guard. The older detective is standing just inside of the HQ foyer doors and both his teammates are wondering exactly how long he's been there.

# # #

"Alright. Listen up. I want to apologize," Steve says, seizing the opportunity at having everyone there all at once. "For yesterday."

Danny has crossed his arms across his chest and is smirking at Steve. "Huh," he says, as if he has no idea what to make of the situation.

Steve ignores him and knows that he has to get in what he needs to say before a potential rant begins. "I was wrong to scare you all like that," he says continuing. The team leader is making eye contact with every single member of Five-0 before coming to rest on Danny's, disbelieving blues. "I should have, maybe – could have waited."

"'Could have'?" It's Danny that says this, as his eyebrows shoot up. "Really, Steven? You're fucking kidding -"

"Danny -" "Brah." "Oh shit, here we go." "Whoa, not again."

Steve, Chin, Kono and Lori all start at once, but it's Chin's piercing whistle that breaks through the tense morning conversation. "That's enough!" he yells. He's standing next to Danny and lays a firm hand on the shorter man's shoulder. He squeezes lightly and gives Danny a look that says, 'accept it and let's move on', because they've still got a case to solve, and Danny somehow – submits.

"Chin is right," Steve cuts in, thankful again for Chins' Jedi ways. He shakes his head. "We've got a ton of work to do. You can chew me out later, Danno. Private session, you and me." He knows he's bargaining, but really? No one wants to hear Danny go off right now, not first thing in the morning. Especially himself.

Danny squints at Steve as if he's sprouted a second head and shrugs. "Fine," Danny says, relenting and walking away, towards his office. And for once, _everyone_ – including himself, is surprised that he actually backs off.

# # #

Chin is in his car waiting for Kono to shut her car door before pulling out of his parking spot.

"Thanks, by the way. I appreciate you checking up on me last night," she says, finally closing the door and buckling in.

Chin's eyes are crinkling a little at the corners as he drives off. Kono is after all, younger than him, he admits fondly. With that said, staying out all night isn't such a big deal because he knows that he's long past those nights himself. "Yeah well, I tried not to call," he says. He really did, because Malia was starting to give him those looks that basically said: _leave your cousin alone, what ever she's up to, she can handle it_.

"Brah, after the eight time? _You_ decided you'd quit?" Kono asks, laughing. "Uh, I'm pretty sure you didn't decide that one on your own, Cuz."

Chin finds himself chuckling softly in response.

"Thanks for that by the way," she says, sighing softly. Then, "you know, I saw you drive by at two in the morning," she adds.

"What you don't sleep?" Chin asks, though he's not too surprised, with what happened in Waipahu and all. But he just wants to be sure. "Who can sleep in all the heat we're experiencing lately?" He's totally fishing.

Kono shrugs as she glances at him quickly. "It's not the heat. Yesterday was kind of a lot to take in, and it took a while," she says by way of explanation. But then something occurs to her, "what the hell were you doing driving around at that time of the morning anyway?"

Chin glances at her and is smiling now – a satisfied, happy smile. "Picking up my wife from work."

"Ah," Kono says with a nod of her head. Chin's lucky, she knows, to finally have the chance with Malia. The chance at something better than good.

"You want to tell me what happened last night?" Chin asks, interrupting her thoughts and studying her briefly. He's remembering walking in on her and Danny arguing this morning and it bugs him a little.

"Not particularly, Cuz. No," Kono says as she starts fidgeting with the buttons for the window. The way he's asking and looking at her – it feels like she's twelve and getting scoldings from him. It kind of sucks because most times when she's fucked up somehow, he's treated her like an adult. This time however, she doesn't know why, but the sudden, slight admonishing look he's giving her is making her feel so immature. She sighs heavily before saying, "nothing happened."

Chin snorts and shakes his head. He's kind of smug in that older, more knowing kind of way, and it pisses her off. Mostly because Danny's already pulled the same attitude with her earlier in the day. But this time, since it's Chin, she can't say or do anything, really – half the island would give her _dirty lickins_ if she did.

He gives her a sideways look and says, "oh, so you guys _just_ had drinks and then you took him home?" Chin can't help help his behavior. Being concerned for her well being is somehow just built into him. Ever since they were younger, he's watched out for her, and not much has changed.

Kono nods her head because it sounds like a good enough description of how the night went. "Yeah. Something like that," she says.

But Chin knows her all too well. "Something like _how_, exactly?" he prods, quirking a brow.

Kono sees him turn to look at her briefly again, and shrugs. "I took a cab, he took a cab." It seems simple enough and hopefully it is.

Chin's got that look in his eye and Kono kind of senses that she's still in for it. "Because you were too drunk," he states.

Who the hell was she to argue? He is her cousin and like it or not, he has seen her at her worst. "Not really, but I wasn't sober enough to drive, if that's what you mean, then yeah," she says. But then, Kono's suddenly surprised by the curious look Chin is giving her and she actually gulps.

"Why didn't you share?" he asks with that same all knowing grin of his.

And Kono really just wants to hit Chin. If it weren't for the fact that he's going over seventy miles per hour in the fast lane on H2, she actually would. "Really, Cuz?"

"I'm just saying," he reasons. "If you went to Tsunami Sam's, like you said you did, you guys are going in the same direction afterward."

Kono scoffs. "Why are you doing this? It's none of your business, Cuz," she says, hoping he would just drop it. And he does for a little bit, but it's a long ride out to Wahiawa. Why do the suspects always live so far away from town? Thankfully, her phone rings. "Oh look, it's Max!"

Chin just snorts and focuses back on the road.

# # #

"Twenty-five times? You called my phone twenty-five fucking times," Steve says as he gets into the driver's side of Danny's Camaro.

Danny slams the door shut. "Like I told Kono earlier – you don't answer, I'll keep calling, you moron." He's got his hands out in front, waving them around and his voice has risen again.

"Why are you yelling?" Steve asks, he's kind of starting to get a headache. "You yelled in the offices this morning, you're yelling now. Did it ever occur to you that I was maybe busy or that I didn't see that I had any calls?" Steve knows this sounds ridiculous but it's worth a shot. He pulls out of Danny's spot and zooms out of the parking lot and onto Queen Street.

Danny snorts loudly. "Oh please. You weren't busy! That's the point," Danny says sharply, grabbing hold of the dashboard to steady himself. "You didn't _want to_ answer my calls."

Steve knows this has nothing to do with Danny's skills as a detective. Any good friend would see through the lie he just tried to pass off. "Look, Danny. I'm sorry. Alright? I'm sorry. I just needed some time to think." Steve's pretty sure he fucked up badly and this will and could, take a while.

Surprisingly, Danny doesn't say anymore and just keeps his eyes on the road.

Steve is not asking for any kind of forgiveness, not just yet. He's a realist and that's not how Danny works anyway, but he figures his best bet is to coax his partner along. "Danny," he says, trying again, making the effort.

Danny sighs heavily and runs a hand down his face, and something seems to visibly thaw in the blonde detective. "Alright, Steven."

Steve clearly appears a little relieved. "Good," he says, meaning it.

But, Danny's shaking his head and waving his hand in front of him once more. "Oh no. I haven't accepted your apology. Just so's you know, asshole. It's pending," he says.

"Pending?" Of course. Steve wasn't really expecting forgiveness so soon, that would be insane.

Danny glances at Steve and seems satisfied because he's making Steve squirm a little and maybe behave a little better, for the time being. "Yeah. Yes. _Pen-ding,_" he says, stressing the syllables.

And naturally, Steve will take it. Because it's Danny. "Okay."

# # #

"Hey. What's this I hear about you not being able to sleep?" Steve asks as he and Kono get into her Cruze. They've just picked up another lead and are now headed out towards Mapunapuna and in the few minutes that they were back at HQ, Steve managed to ask Chin if Kono was okay, because he didn't like the way he found Danny, Kono and Chin glaring at each other when he first arrived.

Kono studies him and his tired, yet openly concerned expression before turning her gaze to the road ahead. "I could ask the same about you, boss," she says, smirking a little.

Steve snorts and shakes his head. "Right. But we're not talking about me, are we?" he asks, deflecting. He extends his arm out and rests his hand against the headrest of her seat. "This have anything to do with last night?"

Kono ignores his blatant attempt of trying to touch her because they can't do this. _Really, brah? _She can almost feel his fingers, just inches away from the back of her head. But she remains focused on the road, her hands gripping the steering wheel a little bit tighter. "Why? Nothing happened last night, remember?" She gives Steve a look and hopes that he gets it because she really needs him to. "We're good, _boss_," she says purposefully, smirking once again.

Steve pulls his hand back, his brows furrowing slightly. "We are?" He turns and studies her expression and nods slightly. He knows what Kono is doing and he accepts it. It kind of sucks because some part of him wishes otherwise.

"Yeah, boss," she says, firmly. And Kono actually smiles. She can totally act like nothing happened last night and knows that Steve can to. It's what they need to do, what _she_ needs to do.

"Okay," he says with a shrug, agreeing.

# # #

"Hey, uh, Lori?" Steve begins, a bit sheepish, as he starts the engine to his truck. Lori has just hopped in and now they're headed to Kalihi to run down a suspect for what went down in Waipahu.

"Yeah?" Lori is reading through the info Kono sent to her phone and glances up to look at Steve. She's trying to appear preoccupied and she feels she's doing a damn good job of it.

"Thanks for bringing my truck to my house last night," Steve says and he means it too. And, truthfully, he's pretty impressed at her professionalism right now because she seemed like such a wreck yesterday. Steve watches as Lori smiles and acknowledges that it's kind of nice to see her that way. She's always so serious and straight-faced, to see any other expression on her features is a rare thing.

Lori puts her phone down. "Not a problem," she says as she turns her head away to glance at the road before them. "I uh, I was a little surprised to find that you weren't home," she says. "Yet."

Steve's brows knit together as he processes what she's saying, or obviously implying, and Lori just continues to look at him quizzically.

He catches her, realizing that the look she's giving him is not necessarily a good thing. "Yeah. I uh, needed a drink," he responds, his tone a little defensive. Which in retrospect, Steve knows wasn't really a good way to answer, because now Lori has possibly another thing to file away in her profile of him. Because seriously? That's what she does right? Figure out people. She's probably got them all pegged by now and he can't help but feel a tiny bit unnerved by it.

"So I heard," Lori says with a wry smile this time, and Steve actually gulps. Her phone's ringing and she checks the caller ID and smirks. "Look, it's your drinking buddy," she says as she hits 'answer'. "What's up, Kono?"

# # #

Kono's driving and tapping her thumbs against the steering wheel when she turns to quickly glance at her blonde passenger. "You know nothing happened, right?" It's not really a question, but she just wants to be clear here. She knows Lori is curious about where she and Steve disappeared to, especially after walking in and hearing Danny and Chin practically interrogating her in the foyer of HQ earlier this morning.

"I wasn't going to ask and you don't have to tell me," Lori says as she stops typing away at her phone to chance a look at Kono.

The taller brunette smirks and tightens her grip slightly on the wheel. "Right, and run the risk of you trying to figure me out all day?" she asks. She's not trying to pick a fight, not with Lori, so she turns her smirk into a warm smile and hopes that Lori doesn't find it disingenuous.

Lori has worked enough with Five-0 to know that Kono is real. All the time. She shakes her head and shrugs. "We're too busy for that. Plus we made a deal, remember? I won't try to dissect you and you'll -"

"Owe you free access to my cousin Momi's day spa at the Kahala Hilton," Kono finishes for her, chuckling softly. "Yeah, yeah. But really, I want you to know, nothing happened," she says sincerely because she means it. If it wasn't going to happen for her, then why not Lori?

But the petite blonde is shaking her head. "Why are you so adamant about telling me this?"

Kono snorts softly. "Because, I may not be as good at profiling as you, but I've got eyes, girl," she says as she glances at Lori. "Yesterday in Waipahu, what was that?" Kono asks. She figures if she can get Lori to talk, it may be a good thing.

Lori laughs softly and shakes her head sadly. "Yeah, I've been behaving like an idiot right?" she asks back, not really answering Kono's question.

Kono decides not to push, because they've reached their destination and she can recall being in Lori's position on more than one occasion in her life. It's normal and a little embarrassing. They're pulling into the parking lot of Kaka'ako Industrial Park and Kono says, "nah – you're just human." She offers Lori a sisterly, supportive smirk.

The blonde shakes her head again and lets go of a small smile. "What and you're not? You're some Cylon or something?" she asks as they get out of the car and she starts to laugh at the funny expression on Kono's face.

"I think you've been hanging around Max too much," Kono says. She's slamming her door shut and moving around her car to join Lori as they walk up to the set of buildings surrounded by an open, gated entryway.

"Hmm, tell me about," Lori says as she steps through the gate first. And then she looks up at the building. "Oh my God, why is it always some old, abandoned warehouse?" she asks.

Kono smirks again."Huh. I know, and uh -" but her commiserating comment is interrupted by their suspect emerging from a door, spotting them and making a run for it. "Seriously?" Kono asks rhetorically, flashing Lori an aggravated look as she springs immediately into action, running after the suspect.

Lori takes off too, she's right on Kono's heels and asks back, "And why do they always run?!"

# # #

"Can I ask you something?" Danny's gesturing with his hands out front as he's walking towards his Camaro. He tosses his keys to Steve without a second thought.

Steve catches them with ease and opens the door. "What's that?" he asks back as he gets in.

Danny smirks slightly and slips into the car. "Why do you look like shit?" He's sincerely interested.

Steve grins back and starts the car. "I don't know Danno, why are you such an asshole?" He knows that Danny won't get offended because he certainly wasn't – and truthfully he has been feeling pretty exhausted lately, so he may in fact, really look like 'shit'.

Danny chuckles a little. "That's cute. That's really funny," the blonde detective says as he turns to glance at the passing island scenery on the way towards Aina Haina. "It's just, the way you guys disappeared and the way Kono almost ripped my head off this morning – she obviously didn't seem to have a good night. I was just wondering if that was the reason why you look so bad."

Steve takes his eyes from the road to momentarily pin Danny with a look. "Whoa, whoa, wait - 'ripped your head off'? What do you mean?" He's curious because he wasn't in such a hot mood himself when he walked in on Danny's little standoff with Kono and Chin.

Danny points forward, at nothing in particular. "That. Exactly that. She was downright _mean_ this morning. Irritated for some reason. What'd you do to her? Huh?"

"Nothing," Steve answers with a shrug, his mouth set in a thin line.

"Nothing? That's what she said," Danny says and he's smiling slightly. If anyone is going to put Steve through his paces, it makes sense that it would be someone like Kono.

Steve exhales heavily. "She's right." He doesn't necessarily hide the disappointment he suddenly finds himself feeling.

Danny sees his reaction and seems to catch on to something. "Hold up. Hang on. You wanted something to happen, didn't you? Huh," he says. He's slightly surprised, but not too much. Steve and Kono he acknowledges, are pretty similar – they're both bold, reckless and ballsy.

"I didn't say anything, Danny," Steve is trying to not sound so defensive, because there's nothing to defend, really.

"No," Danny says, snorting and worrying his bottom lip with his right hand. He's feeling a little smug and smiles. "But I can tell," he adds.

Steve is rolling his eyes. "You can tell? Since when were you a fucking psychic, Danny?" he asks, there's no point in getting irritated with Danny. There never is, he would just outdo you.

"Since you look as bad as you do, that's when. You look beat, babe. If it's not Kono, than what the hell is it? It sure as fuck doesn't have anything to do with us thinking you were dead, does it? Or – does it?" Danny asks, drawing out the last few words of his question.

Steve shrugs and grips the steering wheel firmer as if willing himself to remain calm. He has at times, been at odds with himself about many things – namely, his acceptance of the task force, the steps he made in regard to Governor Jameson, his relentless pursuit of WoFat, and the way he let Kono slip away momentarily. But he is, quite certain of several things – the difference between right and wrong, his quest for vengeance, and his ohana – however infuriating some members may be. "Danno, I guess what I'm trying to say is that I'd be upset too. If anything happened to any of you guys. Or, thought anything happened. You know that," he finally says.

Danny's grinning now. "So you feel guilty. About yesterday in Waipahu," he says, not really asking, but stating the obvious.

Steve heaves a heavy sigh. "Yeah."

Danny's grin gets a touch bigger and he asks, "enough to lose sleep over?"

"Yeah," Steve answers simply. Because it is simple. How much more simple could it get? He put his team in a position where they thought he was dead and they all acted semi accordingly.

"That's nice," Danny says as he nods his head, satisfied that Steve realizes how his actions affect his team.

# # #

They're so busy at Five-0 that Kono doesn't even have time to process that she's switched partners and cars over five times in one day. It does nothing for her mood. But, it doesn't turn out to be such a bad thing either, she realizes. It at least acts as a buffer and she's managed pretty well at reigning in her grouchiness.

Plus she's bone tired, and by the looks of the team, so is everyone else. Steve's gaunt looking, Danny's got bags under his eyes, Lori's got dark circles around her eyes, much like herself and Chin actually looks – weary.

But they did it – they solved their case. It's late now and they're finally shutting down, wrapping things up and organizing paperwork that will have to get filled in first thing Monday morning, when Danny steps out of his office to join the rest of the team at the conference table. He sidles up next to Kono and nudges her. "Finally took off your crabby panties, huh?" Danny asks, an annoying smirk peeking through the stubble on his face.

Kono snorts and elbows him back gently, while Chin, Lori and Steve watch them curiously. "I had to," she replies, unruffled. "Seems only fair, since you took yours off too," she says, cracking a smile. And as the team shares a well deserved laugh, Kono catches Steve's quirked brow and suggestive smirk and can't help but roll her eyes.

# # #

A/N: Phew! Probably one of the longest chapters I've ever written. Once again, I'm sorry it took so long, but I'm so obsessive about my stories. Anyway, I still hope that you enjoyed it nonetheless. Thank you for reading (still?), as always let me know what you all think.

Glossary:  
>dirty lickins – a colloquial term for scoldings, beatings for bad behavior<p>

Pronunciation:  
>Wahiawa: wah-hee-ahh-wah – town on the way towards North Shore, near Wheeler AFB and Schofield Barracks<br>Mapunapuna: mah-pooh-nah-poo-nah – neighborhood near Salt Lake  
>Kalihi: kah-lee-hee – town north-west of Honolulu<br>Kaka'ako: kah-kah-ahh-ko – commercial district, east of downtown Honolulu  
>Aina Haina: aye-nah hi-nah – affluent neighborhood east of Diamond Head<p> 


	4. This Would Be A Terrible Idea

Fear, Not Love

Disclaimer: I do not own H50.

Spoilers: Nothing specific really.  
>Summary: Steve's "apparent death" elicits certain feelings: some strong, some not so much, some slow burning. SteveKono at the heart of it, but some Danny moments thrown in for good measure, as well as Lori and Chin.

Thank you readers for the awesome words of encouragement, alert and adds. You all may be tired of me saying how fantastic and great you all are, but I've seen other fanfic writers say the same, your comments matter, they're very, very much appreciated.

This Would Be A Terrible Idea

# # #

Five-0 Headquarters  
>Oahu<p>

Steve and Danny are standing in the parking lot at HQ. They're waving to Kono and Lori as they drive off in their respective cars when Danny, who characteristically shoves his hands into his pockets, turns to Steve, a curious but self-satisfied look upon his face. "So you want to tell me what's really going on?" Danny asks as he's leaning on his Camaro.

"Nothing," Steve answers, as he's opening the door to his truck. He realizes he really must be tired, because normally he'd be fed up with this line of questioning. After running around the island all day, of course it would be too much to ask that Danny would leave some things alone.

"You've said that a lot today," Danny says as he smirks and runs a hand through his hair. "In regard to Kono," he adds. _Nothing _ is bullshit and he knows it. Not with the way things seem to be beyond normal between his partner and Kono or the way Lori keeps ogling Steve.

Steve turns to face Danny and leans back to rest on his truck seat. "I've meant it," he says truthfully.

Danny turns to scan the empty lot, Chin left shortly before Kono and Lori and they're the only two remaining as night continues to darken Honolulu further. He looks back at Steve and notes the way the streetlamp illuminates his features and does nothing to hide his partner's aneurysm face. "But you like Kono, it seems," he points out. He kind of wants to grin, as he says it.

Steve cocks his head and eyes Danny. "Everyone likes Kono, Danny. Don't be ridiculous," he says, pinning his partner with a look.

Danny throws his hands up amiably and starts to pace a little. "What are we, twelve? You know what I mean. You didn't necessarily deny it in the car earlier today, because you did want something to happen with her last night, didn't you?"

Steve exhales heavily and shrugs. "I was a little drunk. And maybe – I wanted some company afterward," he says arching a brow slightly. He is a man after all.

Danny is snorting and shaking his head as he stops his pacing and leans on the hood of his Camaro. "You know, that's a terrible idea."

His partner smirks and rolls his eyes. "Because of Chin or because of the fact that I'm her boss?" Steve asks, his smirk turning into a smile. He doesn't give a fuck either way. Something – recently – caused him to zero in on Kono, and it's ending up like someone turned on a light and now he sees and feels what he's never noticed before.

Danny scoffs. "Neither," he says. "I mean, sure Chin would kick your ass and never mind the impropriety of the situation, but don't do that to her – don't corrupt or influence her anymore than you already have, asshole. Nip this in the bud now, pal," the blonde detective advises. Danny can tell by Steve's body language that he's really taking what he's saying with a grain of salt.

That is to say, Steve doesn't buy it. Any of it. Danny knows full well that Steve's going to do whatever the fuck he wants. Ah well, at the very least, he tried.

Steve hops up into the cab of his truck and turns to look at Danny. "Relax, Danno," he says, as he closes his truck door. "I haven't even thought that far ahead. Really." _Yeah right._

Danny is moving to the driver's side of his car and pauses to study Steve before getting into his own vehicle. "Okay, babe. But seriously, it's not a good idea. With Kono at least. But we know she's not your only option," he says as he ducks a little to look through his passenger window to point at Steve. His smile is bordering on goofy and he adds, "just something to think about it."

# # #

Kono Kalakaua's House  
>Kaneohe, Oahu<p>

Kono wakes with a jolt.

She's lying on her stomach and her head rises ever so slightly from her pillow because it's her third nightmare of the night. Her fucking third, and because of it she doesn't pop up and out of bed like the tortured heroine of some monster flick, all cliche.

Instead, she just blinks away the stifling, yet comforting heat and humidity of Hawaii and stretches languidly, like a cat. She's sweaty, her sheets are tangled around her legs and she remembers vividly the bad dream that just occurred – the one where Steve is a bloodied pulp. His arms and legs are bent unnaturally around him, his eyes wide open, all life and light gone from them on his bruised and beaten face. Despite the heat, she shudders at the memory of the dream. The last vestiges of intense emotion, created by the horrific imagery of her subconscious, stubbornly cling to her. She groans a little in frustration.

But then, she notices something about the air in her bedroom. It's suddenly crackling with tension and electricity and she groans softly, again. _No_. Her mind suddenly flips into action and her arm slips off the edge of the bed casually, to reach the hidden shelf she has under her mattress, the one holding her gun. Kono wraps her hand around the smooth butt of her weapon when she suddenly hears, "Kono, it's me."

"Steve?" she asks, confused and disoriented. "What the hell?"

He switches on the floor lamp next to the armchair he's parked in and smirks at her, totally casual, as if he's done something like this before. Although he hasn't, and the urge to do so hasn't ever occurred either. In fact, oddly enough, this is actually only the second time he's been inside her place. The first was after he dropped her off from Chin and Malia's wedding.

"I almost blew your fucking head off," she says as she's rolled over and is now staring at him, propping herself slightly on her elbows. She knows she should totally be freaked out but she isn't. It's just Steve, right? _Right_?

"My bad. Sorry," he says, fidgeting a little. "Couldn't sleep," he adds, although that much is obvious.

"So you come here?" she asks as she flops her head back down into her pillow. "I'm not even going to ask how you got in – because obviously – I'm gonna have to hit up Home Depot tomorrow for some extra locks or something," she says sighing and yawning simultaneously. She blinks and swallows a few times, stares up to the ceiling, and notes that she really hates the popcorn texture and thinks one weekend she's going to scrape that shit off.

"It's as good a place as any," Steve says, interrupting Kono from her thoughts, and she can see him shrug through her peripheral vision. "Relax. Okay?" he says. "I was careful. You forget, Mary Ann calls me a _ninja_ for a reason," he adds and by the tone of his voice, Kono can tell he's smiling. "Plus, it looks likes you're having some trouble too," he says somewhat hopefully, his voice low.

It's the deep timbre of his voice that has her turning toward him and she holds her head up with her hand. She watches as his eyes travel slowly across her body, and she honestly doesn't care that her thin, see through tank top has ridden so high up her naked breasts, she's practically flashing him. She makes no move to tug it down. Her throat goes suddenly dry with what she sees in his eyes, the way that they darken with something she knows she's not ready to acknowledge. Her only comfort is that she can tell that he's going through the same thing, because when his eyes meet hers again, he says, "I'm kinda thirsty – you?"

Grateful for the distraction, Kono huffs, props herself up on her elbows again and kicks away the sticky sheets. Standing from the bed, she finally pulls down her top and finds Steve actually grinning at her. "This is creepy, you know that, right?" Kono points out as she gets up to leave her bed. One side of her bikini panties has worked it's way up high on her left cheek, and – _hello _– this wasn't exactly the way she hoped to disclose her tattoo. If ever. But fuck it, there's no point of being embarrassed now. She pulls the offending side down and doesn't bother to look back, but actually kind of cringes when she hears Steve mumble something about how much he likes dolphins.

When she steps back into her room, Steve has his eyes closed and is leaning his head back against the wall. She nudges his hand with a glass of ice water and his eyes fly open as if he's surprised that she's made it back to her room already. She hands him the glass and moves to sit down on the edge of her bed to face him. "So, talk," she says.

Steve arches a brow as he takes in her disheveled appearance, her skin glistening with sweat and what she's wearing and gulps at the way she looks right now. Sexy as hell. Especially because Kono doesn't seem to find it necessary to cover up.

But it does stand to reason, that your boss showing up at your home, in the middle of night, is in fact 'creepy' and not to mention – unacceptable. So, he apologizes. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have come here," he says.

Kono smirks and rolls her eyes. "No, you shouldn't have" she says agreeing, and shrugs. "But Danny's got Grace, Chin's got Malia, and you guessed that sitting in the dark and watching me try to sleep is significantly less obnoxious and inappropriate than showing up at Lori's house," she says with a soft laugh. She shakes her head. "I'm not planning on visiting Human Resources first thing Monday morning, but you really need to go, Steve. You know that, right?"

Steve takes another sip of his water and nods before setting the glass down. He knows Kono is kidding about HR. And, actually, going to Lori's never even crossed his mind. Neither did going to Danny's or Chin's. He knows perfectly well, why he came here. That conversation he had earlier with Danny in the parking lot, started all this.

Well, maybe.

It could have been Waipahu and the way Kono didn't react to his possible death, and then when they went to Tsunami Sam's and what happened afterward. Either way, Steve is finding it hard to leave, now that he's here. He takes one last look at her before leaning his head back against the wall and letting his eyes slip shut, again.

Kono is chewing on her thumbnail as she continues to watch him. She's balancing on a thin line between exasperation and excitement. Kono knows, she's not immune to Steve's charms – especially with the way he is right now.

She sticks a foot out to nudge him in the knee and jumps when Steve's hand comes up to grab hold of her. His fingers are warm and electric as they wrap around her slim ankle and it actually feels like they're burning her. She's trying to pull away, halfheartedly, but instead Steve pulls back and she drops her hands to her mattress to brace herself. "Don't Steve," she says as she works her foot free to stand. "Duke lives down the street, you know that?" she says as she stares down at him, both hands resting on her hips.

Steve has yet to open his eyes because he doesn't really want to. "You're gonna sick Sgt. Lukela on me?" he asks, unmoving, eyes still closed.

"No, that would make it worse, you're right. But, come on Steve, please. Leave," Kono says, not quite pleading. Yet. "You need to go home and try to at least get some sleep. No work today, remember? No one expects you anywhere for two whole days," she reasons.

Steve finally opens his eyes to look at her and he knows it was a mistake to do so. All he wants to do is throw her onto her bed and do things to her that he's been missing since Catherine left him, all those months ago. Only this time, since it's Kono, he somehow feels more vulnerable because it wouldn't just be a casual release, would it? It's Kono for crying out loud. "I could just sleep here," he offers mischievously, not daring to move from the chair, because then he wouldn't be responsible for his actions.

But then, Kono does the unthinkable.

She grabs his hand and hauls him out of the chair, out of her bedroom, through the living room and towards her front door when Steve finally pulls away. She flips on a table lamp near the door and he wonders how he got there. How the slip of a woman before him managed to muscle him that far from her bedroom. And frankly, he's deeply disappointed and he knows he's doing nothing to hide what he's feeling at the moment, from her.

"You know that would be terrible idea, right?" Kono asks, unknowingly echoing Danny's words from earlier in the evening. She's standing there, facing Steve and has her arms crossed in front of her as she's eyeballing him. And there he goes again, showing her how despondent he is at having to leave. Steve seems so sad, lost and unsure, not usually the most attractive qualities in a man, admittedly. But, to someone who knows Steve – how strong willed and minded he is, how fearless, confident, reckless and intense he can be – this isn't normal for Steve.

It's kind of endearing. But at the same time, so very wrong, she feels.

Steve is focusing on her and trying not to let his mind wander, when he says, "I've heard that before." He knows, he's got to stop baring his soul, his emotions like this, because all Kono seems to do is push him away.

Kono arches a brow and smirks. "It's pretty good advice, I think. Good for not making things complicated or messy, good for the office, good for friendships and working relationships." She's perfectly aware of her predicament.

Steve rolls his eyes and snorts. Kono's got a damn good point. She always does. "Hmm," he says with a nod, acquiescing. "Can I ask you something though?"

"Of course," Kono replies, what the hell. It certainly can't get more uncomfortable tonight. Funny, she's no longer disturbed by finding Steve in her home in the middle of the night. But, as exciting or thrilling as it should be – like she just said herself earlier, realistically, _this would be a terrible idea._

"Back at the bar the other night," Steve starts. "When we were leaving?" He doesn't know why he's asking this, he feels like he's beating a dead horse.

Kono is watching him, noting his ruffled and haggard appearance. "Yeah, I said we couldn't do this, that this," she says, waving a hand between them, "can't ever happen."

Steve rests his hands against his hips. "Yeah, about that," Steve says, but her sudden laughter stops him dead in his tracks.

She's shaking her head. "You don't give up boss, do you?" she asks, still chuckling.

Steve can't fight his smile. "Nah. But, you already knew that. But that's what bothers you right? That I'm your boss. You brought it up the other night too," he says, as he tries to see the humor in the situation like she does.

Kono is smirking and shakes her head again. "Fine. You want the truth? I could give a shit about the 'boss' thing," she says, because she really could. "I thought I could tell you that so that you would, oh I don't know, lose interest, or actually follow rules about inter-office dating. Or better yet, care that you actually are my boss and that you would man up and get a clue about the repercussions," she doesn't intend to sound mean. She's just telling it like it is. "But. I guess I was wrong."

"Hey. I care about that shit. If it matters to you," Steve says. Normal men would be taken aback by what she just said. In fact he's pretty sure, some men would turn tail and back off. But clearly he's not just any man, especially because he genuinely feels something here. For her.

"Really?" Kono asks sarcastically. She still has her arms folded across her front and shifts her weight to one foot so that she appears more _tita_ than she normally does.

Steve snorts back and mimics her pose. "Yeah," he says resolutely. But then something she said earlier seems to nag at him. "Hang on. You don't give a shit about the 'boss' thing. But you kind of do," he says as he watches her roll her eyes. "Because you're trying to get me to back off? Is that really what the 'can't happen' is all about?" Steve asks, he's so fucking confused right now.

Kono is frustrated, because what Steve said sounds profoundly stupid. But the truth of the matter is fairly simple. "Because, Lori's in love with you," she says.

# # #

A/N: Grrrr...arrrgh. Merl not happy. Imagine an early evening bonfire on the beach, fairly big, blazing, beautiful, inspiring. Now imagine that same bonfire, oh say, four am in the morning. Hopefully you've still got some glowing embers if you're lucky. That is what's happening to this story...gah! I got the blahs. Somebody help me. And yeah, I know the scene in her bedroom is semi _Twilight_-ish.

Glossary:  
>tita (pronounced: tih-tah) – really tough chick, ready for a fight. For anything.<p>

Pronunciation:  
>Kaneohe: kah-nee-oh-hey – town north-east side of Oahu.<p>

(side note: In trying to figure out where to put Kono's house - Kono mentioned sometime in S1 when she was trying to figure out how she knew Charlie Fong, about town and townies, and it made me think that she didn't live in town herself. Most beach-lovers don't, admittedly. It doesn't seem like she's really from the West-side of the island either – though she sure as hell fights like she could be. Northshore, though ideal for surfing, is just too far from town. So far, from what we've seen in S2, there was one thing that stood out and that was the area around her house. It looks like it's in a neighborhood that's a bit more lush and green than what you would find on the West-side, so I picked Kaneohe, it's not too far from the beach – it is an island after all – and not too far from town, where Five-0 HQ is.)


	5. I Don't Usually Wear Anything To Bed

Fear, Not Love

Disclaimer: I do not own H50.

Spoilers: Me Ke Kahakai, S1:E20 – to know who Uncle Keako and Auntie Mele are; Ua Lawe Wale, S2:E2 – minor reference to Fryer; Mea Makamae, S2:E4 – Steve and Catherine on the outs; Mai Ka Wa Kahiko, S2:E15  
>Summary: Steve's "apparent death" elicits certain feelings: some strong, some not so much, some slow burning. SteveKono at the heart of it, but some Danny moments thrown in for good measure, as well as Lori and Chin.

A/N: Mostly Steve, Kono and Lori in this chapter. Apologies for taking so long and erhm...yeah – smut ahead. Rated M folks!

I Don't Usually Wear Anything to Bed

# # #

Kono Kalakaua's House  
>Kaneohe, Oahu<p>

Kono arrives home from surfing and finds a busy Steve on her porch. He's got her front door open and is finishing up installing what looks like two new door locks. She slows and parks her bicycle to remove her surfboard and sees him closing the door and testing the locks with a set of keys that he promptly hands over as she climbs the stairs, her board still casually tucked under her arm.

"I've changed the locks on the backdoor too," he says as he smirks at her. No 'good morning' or 'hi, hello', whatever, because he's kind of nervous, but at the same time he's trying not to show it.

Kono studies him and notes a seriousness to him and nods. "Thanks, boss." She can't help but smirk back. She's not all that surprised at his mood because when is Steve _not_ intense?

Steve grins, clearly relieved that there's no real awkwardness left from his entering her home, uninvited, in the middle of the night. He regrets it now of course, and doesn't even know what he was trying to prove other than the obvious one of wanting to get laid.

Because yeah. That's exactly what it was.

He feels like an asshole for thinking about her in that manner. Especially because Kono doesn't deserve to be thought of that way, and because she's very different from the women he's known and been with. Steve knows that he's pretty lucky that she won't turn him in for sexual harassment, or call in her relatives to kick his ass, or better yet, beat the shit out of him herself.

But then again, they way Kono looked last night, in her bed, with her clothes riding up and exposing more of her than he's seen when she's just worn a bikini. He recalls the smooth expanses of her tan skin, her athletic curves, her long, lean and toned limbs and finds himself gulping slightly at the thought of her wrapping her legs around him. He has to mentally stop himself because other than it being wholly inappropriate, Kono's already told him the reason why she's not interested in anything with him. Despite her obvious attraction to him and vice versa.

"Earth to Steve?" Kono asks, waving her hands before his face, trying to claim his attention once again. She's wondering where he zoned off to.

Steve looks embarrassed at being busted for daydreaming, so he clears his throat. "Yeah. Sorry. Long night," he says, his grin sheepish and appearing bigger than before. _Lame._

Kono snorts and shakes her head. "I'm not inviting you in, you know that, right?" she asks pointedly, arching a brow. After hours of surfing and trying to clear her head to really think about what transpired last night, she wonders if there's something wrong with her. Because although Steve's stalker-like behavior was in fact a little creepy and inappropriate as hell, she still doesn't find it all that bad.

Any fool could see why that is, though.

Kono kind of wants him.

Fuck it. Too bad she's so nice and considering Lori's feelings before her own. That kind of self-sacrificing bullshit definitely runs in her family. Fucking, Chin – setting examples like _that_, what the fuck?

Steve is chuckling. "Yeah. Yeah, I wouldn't invite me in either," he says as he shakes his head too. "I uh, I've got plans, anyway," he says, smiling lopsidedly.

Kono turns from leaning her board against the wall and rolls her eyes amicably. "Good," she says smiling, really meaning it. "Thanks again for this," she adds as she shakes the keys in her hand for emphasis, she doesn't say anything about how cheesy the 'I heart the Navy' key chain is, but she kind of likes it.

After she blurted out to Steve how Lori was in love with him last night, he just turned and left her house without another word and she figured she wouldn't really see him till Monday. She should have known – that Steve would be by to try and fix things. She guesses she's never going to tell him about the time she came home to find Lt. Fryer in her living room, who knows what kind of additional security he would install then.

"Not a problem, it's the least I could do," Steve responds. "I'm really sorry about breaking in last night," he adds as he makes his way back to his truck. "And don't worry. You've got all the copies, okay?" He's feeling better because it seems that she's letting him off the hook.

Kono nods and smiles again. Steve seems genuinely remorseful and she believes him."So – do your 'plans' have something to do with Lori?" she asks, pretty curious about what Steve's going to do about the petite blonde and her feelings for him.

He's about to go, takes a few steps down the stairs when he turns and says, "yeah, they do actually. What you said last night – about Lori."

Kono leans her hip onto her porch railing and shifts her weight to one foot. "Yeah?" she asks.

"It's true isn't it?" he asks back. "I mean, after I left – on my drive home, it all kind of made sense." The more he thought about what Kono told him last night, the more he saw the signs.

Kono is studying Steve once more, her eyes bright because she's finding how clueless he is, fairly cute.

"It kind of explains what happened in North Korea," Steve says, nodding slightly and remembering how confused he was about Lori jumping out of that chopper and hugging him.

"And then Waipahu," Kono adds, watching as Steve nods again. That day kind of sucked, she remembers.

"And some other stuff." He's thinking back to the multiple times he's found Lori staring at him.

Kono arches a brow once more, obviously intrigued. "'Other stuff'?" Kono asks.

Steve snorts softly and shakes his head, not answering her and turns to walk back to his truck when Kono says, "you're talking about how she looks at you right? And the way she tries to partner up with you?" The smug grin on Steve's face says it all and it's Kono this time that's shaking her head. She snorts again and watches as Steve gets into his truck and says, "you got this McGarrett?"

"Oh yeah," he says, smiling as he starts his engine and drives off.

# # #

Koko Head Stairs  
>Honolulu<p>

Steve is genuinely making an attempt here.

He acknowledges of course that Lori is an attractive woman. He and Danny even had a conversation about this very fact when Lori was first assigned to the team. She's feisty, sassy and smart. She's also dedicated to her job, her career and she just so happens to be pretty damn good at it too. And, for added measure, she's a team player and proven more than once, her loyalty to Five-0. In all honesty, there is nothing Steve can't not like about Lori.

So he invited her for a run, up the Koko Head Stairs to test the waters and see if it could lead to something and perhaps serve as an opening to something more. They started out the morning great, lightly trash talking and joking with each other. There was an ease to their interaction that Steve found he liked, more so than when she was reacting to something that was happening to him. And the way Lori first challenged him and then cheated her way halfway up the stairs was admittedly more fun than annoying. He actually liked how competitive she was.

But then she sprained her ankle and he really felt bad about it. So much so that he couldn't help insisting that she go to the hospital because her ankle looked pretty bad. But because Steve couldn't possibly leave her sitting there, he carried her down the mountain, eating his threat from earlier in the morning. It was the least he could do and despite how he could tell she would be nervous about being in close contact with him, Steve picked her up easily and carefully made his way down.

So Kono believed Lori was in love with him and of course he felt a little flattered. And today, he saw something in Lori. In the way she happily met him at the door to her apartment, eager and bright-eyed. Then the teasing way she goaded him and then tricked him, saying his shoelace was untied and then tripping him. Plus the awkward way she acquiesced to being carried and her sharp in-take of breath when he lifted her. He finally saw it all and he felt a little like an asshole for not noticing sooner.

But he couldn't say for certain he felt anything in return.

No, scratch that. He knew for a fact – sadly – that he didn't.

Why was it that he felt nothing more for Lori than camaraderie? After Catherine left, he wasn't sure how soon he would be willing to start dating because Catherine did mean something to him. But last week in Waipahu happened and witnessing people's reactions to your death does something to you – makes you think of the people you care about, your worth and your current station in life. It's enough to cause someone to want to change, to live their life differently and act on the things that they may have held back on.

Steve's eyes are trained on the precise way the paramedic is wrapping Lori's ankle and he can clearly hear her protests. Huh – she's vocal, that's for sure. And pretty funny too, he muses, as they finish up. The EMTs get ready to haul Lori into the ambulance so he tells them feel free to sedate her if needed and he has to grin. He made the effort today, to see if he would enjoy and want to spend more time with her outside of work. And frankly, Lori is cool. But his mind wouldn't allow him to focus just on her. He wanted to be elsewhere with someone else. And he wasn't talking about Catherine.

His phone's ringing now and something tells him he really needs to answer it.

# # #

Five-0 HQ  
>Honolulu<p>

Kono arrives back at HQ to find all the office lights still on. Lori must still be around, but for now, she knows she needs to decompress. Seeing Danny act so desperately, scared the fuck out of her. But, it was Grace. _Grace _who was abducted. Kono is pretty sure Danny wouldn't have acted differently if it were Rachel or any of them, because that's the kind of guy Danny is. It causes her to choke up a little and remember how it took all of her focus to not loose it and break down at the Public Storage lot where they found the little girl. She's glad Steve and Chin volunteer to help get Stan from the hospital and offer to drive everyone home or wherever, in case Grace needs to get checked out or something.

Her desk is a mess of papers and she doesn't even register that some of them have fallen to the floor as she takes a seat and drops her head, heavily into her hands. Kono is not burnt out, she's not stressed and she's not tired. Not physically anyway. What she is, and she knows this fairly well, is that she is emotionally exhausted.

In Waipahu, she barely let herself register the thought that Steve was dead. Unlike Lori or Danny who both assumed the worst. Or like Chin, who seemed to require proof first. It kind of bugs her that she was slow to react, to believe in either case, because she was just plain scared. Terrified actually – at the thought of losing Steve. And then today with Grace and seeing Danny frantic and despondent.

When she was on the pro-circuit and competed in surf meets all over the world; feelings, friendships, fears, injuries had to be put aside in order to maintain focus. And the only way to survive was to compartmentalize. Kono believed she was pretty good at it too. But maybe she lost practice. Maybe, she let herself go and maybe things were hitting too close to her heart. Maybe she was being scared into doing something, reacting finally.

Kono hears a light clearing of a throat and looks up to see that Lori's hanging around her office door, looking a little concerned.

"Hey, Lori," Kono says, putting forth a brave effort and trying to appear calm.

Lori shifts, looking as if she's finally got used to the crutches. "Hey. How's Danny? And Grace?" Lori asks.

"They're good. They're fine. They uh, Steve and Chin are taking them to the hospital to meet up and check on Stan," Kono explains, then "how's the foot?" She suddenly remembers that her other intention was to check up on Lori and maybe offer her a ride home.

Lori grunts softly and rolls her eyes. "Further proof about how much of an idiot I am, right?" she says.

Kono laughs quietly. She stands and steps forward to squeeze Lori's shoulder. "It's okay girl," she says. "I've been through a fair amount of injuries myself," she adds, hoping to comfort her. She doesn't quite get why she feels responsible for her, but she does. Maybe it's because she realizes how nice it is to have another woman around Five-0.

"It's been a long day, hasn't it?" Lori asks, her smile warm as she leans against the door frame.

Kono takes a deep breath and nods in response. "Yeah and aside from Danny's day, I'd say you had a pretty frustrating one as well. Are you waiting for Steve to give you a lift home? Otherwise, I could," Kono offers, she doesn't know why she just threw Steve's name in there.

Lori suddenly straightens and arches a brow. "Steve? Why would you ask that?"

Kono shrugs. _Yeah, way to go._ "I just thought, you know you guys went for a run this morning," she says, gesturing towards Lori's foot. "And I thought maybe -"

"I uh, huh," Lori says, interrupting Kono. She shakes her head and snorts once again. "You know, for as good a profiler as I am – or been told – I feel pretty ridiculous for not seeing the signs sooner."

Now Kono's confused and does nothing to hide it. She arches a brow at Lori.

Lori is shaking her head again and looking down at the tips of her crutches. "He's not into me at all," she says simply, a bit defeated.

Kono grunts softly and crosses her arms across her front. "How do you know?" she asks, a part of her screaming inside.

Lori's gaze meets hers. "Even before you guys notified him of the body found on the airplane?" she asks, causing Kono to think back to the very start of their day. "He never offered to come with me in the ambulance. Or to meet me at the hospital."

The tall brunette is rolling her eyes. "He carried you down the mountain," Kono says, hoping to justify the time Steve spent with Lori, though she doesn't know why. "Plus it's just a sprain, right?" she asks, because she's surprised at Lori's lack of confidence.

"Doesn't matter does it?" Lori asks back, hobbling over to seat herself in one of Kono's office chairs. "If he cared," Lori starts, shifting her crutches to lean against the other chair. "If he felt anything like I – I feel for him, he would have followed in his truck, don't you think?" She sounds hopeful, as if she'll hear something in Kono's response that will make her feel better about her giant crush on Five-0's team leader.

Kono gulps. She can't lie, she never really could. Not about things like this. Sneaking out in the middle of the night when she was younger to meet up with friends – she could weave a tale that would have your head spinning. But this, she won't lie. "I'm the wrong person to ask."

The petite blonde settles back into her chair and eyes Kono with a knowing look. _Of course._ "Because you have feelings for him too?" Lori asks, not really expecting an answer, because really? It's Steve she's talking about here.

Kono shrugs again. "I'm not dead, Lori." She's trying to play it cool because that's just how Kono is. But yeah. She does have feelings for Steve, she was just too slow to realize them because it isn't just infatuation, is it?

Lori nods and is chewing on a portion of her lip. "Yeah and you've worked with him longer."

Kono's now leaning against her desk and studying Lori. "Meaning what? He has a girlfriend." She doesn't get Lori's point because Catherine has been in Steve's life longer than the both of them, combined.

Lori clears her throat and smiles sadly, maybe more for herself than Kono. "_Had_," she says, correcting the taller woman, not missing the way Kono's eyes go wide at her statement. It seems, she figures, that Kono forgot about that little fact too.

# # #

Kono Kalakaua's House  
>Kaneohe, Oahu<p>

Kono arrives home from driving Lori to her apartment and finds Steve on her porch.

Again.

And that same stupid thrill she felt when she found him in her home the other night makes its way from her belly to her chest at lightning speed. He looks tired and on edge, but happy to see her.

"Steve?" she asks as she approaches and climbs the steps.

Steve doesn't say anything but nods slightly. He's looking at her, hovering just inches away from her as she pulls out her keys to unlock her front door. He notices that Kono's hands are shaking and he has to grin. He feels like he's in for something long overdue.

Kono clears her throat at having finally getting her door open and steps through the threshold, flipping on the living room light and turning back to look at him. "So that's it? With Lori?" she asks, although she knows. She's figured that's why he's here and opens her door a little wider as a kind of gesture.

He doesn't step through though and feels silly for standing on her porch waiting for her to vocally invite him in. But it's what he needs to do, because he can't just walk into her home like he did the other night. He nods again in answer to her question but remains standing where he is.

Kono tilts her head, assessing him. So her boss isn't feeling particularly loquacious tonight, but when has he ever? She shifts her weight to one foot and crosses her arms in front of her and says, "it may not matter after tonight, but the other night when you broke in?"

Steve still hasn't moved from her porch but he gives her a questioning look in response. He's still not talking either.

"Don't do that. You caught me on an off night," she states. No one ever said she wasn't mischievous growing up.

"Yeah?" Steve asks gruffly and it sounds more like a grunt if anything. It feels like Kono is teasing him and he kind of likes it and his core fills with heat in some kind of anticipation.

"Yeah. I don't usually wear anything to bed," Kono says plainly. Her left hand hovers over the fly of her jeans and her gaze darkens as she wantonly looks at Steve.

He fucking hates himself because Steve feels how his body surges and twitches at the thought of Kono naked and he knows – he's doomed. He moves forward because that's all the invitation he needs and steps into her home. Kono's already got her jeans off and is working on her top when he turns, closes and locks her front door behind him.

When Kono was younger and spent a lot of time at her Uncle Keako and Auntie Mele's house, she always played in their backyard. Rarely was she and her other cousins allowed to play indoors. And with good reason, her Auntie and Uncle were the caretakers of the family antique furniture collection. When Auntie Mele died last year, Uncle Keako figured it was time to start distributing the furniture that had been passed down through the generations. As it turns out, Kono inherited a two drawer dresser made of Koa wood and despite it's rather European styling, the fairly innocuous piece of furniture has up until today been used for storing extra board wax, miscellaneous junk – like pens, bullets, extra rounds and maybe condoms.

Good thing for that last one, because of course, Steve decides it's the perfect place to fuck her on. Maybe it was something he decided when he was in her place before. Either way, Steve walks up to Kono and lifts her easily onto the dresser, kisses her deeply with a finality that says – _this was meant to happen all along_.

She's naked by now, groping every inch of his still clothed body and sneaking her hands up his front to run them across his pecks. Somehow Steve manages to pull his shirt off and he drags her hands from his chest to place them on the top button of his cargo pants, as if he's giving her an option here. Seriously? She's fucking naked on a piece of furniture that's like one hundred years old with her legs spread and wrapped around him and he's giving her a choice? Wow. Could Steve be anymore awesome?

She doesn't think about it. She wants him, wants this – no needs it. There's no more thinking at this point anyway and she can't imagine how he's still managing to, but Kono doesn't really care. She pulls at the buttons and they come undone. She doesn't know how, but she manages to pull a condom out from the top drawer below her. Kono reaches into his pants and pulls him out and she can hear the way Steve gasps at her touch.

He's impatient and takes over, growling slightly and finishing the task because if she keeps caressing him in that way, he's not sure how much more control he would have. Steve is wild with want and it almost borders on desperate. It's as if he can't get enough of her, kissing her roughly and pulling her close, pulling at her arms and thighs, wrapping himself in her. He grabs her hips to steady them and pushes in to her and it feels like something's already burst within him, but Kono's throaty groan brings him back. She's bracing herself on his shoulders, her thin fingers moving down to grasp at his shoulder-blades and encouraging him to move. He readily does, breaking the kiss because it feels like he's sinking into something soft, wet, and electric, and he thinks he might run out of air.

Kono feels too good right now to be embarrassed at her urgent mewing and moaning as he starts to push. Steve's heavy grunting and groaning in her ear is just making her more aroused and she grips him tighter as he keeps pushing and thrusting. He lifts her legs higher to go deeper. A part of her mind registers how the dresser they're on keeps thumping against the wall and she finds the rhythm to be so deliciously primal. She pushes his cargo pants completely off of his ass and grabs onto him and this seems to spur him on, quickening his pace. Somewhere within her, she's dancing along a precipice, balancing herself. But then, she's moving faster along the edge, running practically – and shit, fuck. _Fuck_. "Oh, God."

When Steve joins her, seconds later, he doesn't moan in response, or groan for that matter. He simply freezes, his mouth in the form of an 'oh' as his hands move to her hips and he crushes her closer. And then he finally allows himself to breathe, his labored panting matching Kono's. He leans back slightly to look at her and takes in the afterglow of fucking on her features and he thinks that she's never looked more beautiful. Because that's what Kono is, aside from many other things.

# # #

Thank you everyone who's reviewed/commented, added faves and alerts. Your encouragement and support is as always, astounding. Many, many thanks.

A/N: So yeaaaah. Let me know how you all liked this one. Once again, many, many apologies for taking so long to update. I was traveling, went back home to Hawaii of all things and oddly enough wasn't too inspired to write. But the recent episodes got me going again (read - Lori's gone?! Uhm, yay?).

Glossary:  
>Koa – Hawaiian acacia tree. The wood, red or golden-brown is often used for furniture and characterized by multiple knots that create a unique pattern in the wood.<p> 


	6. I'm Gonna Need My Boxers Back Too

Fear, Not Love

Disclaimer: I do not own H50.

Spoilers: Nothing Specific  
>Summary: Steve's "apparent death" elicits certain feelings: some strong, some not so much, some slow burning. SteveKono at the heart of it, but some Danny moments thrown in for good measure, as well as Lori and Chin.

A/N: A short-ish, in-between chapter. More smut, because – hmm – really? I have no valid reason. Also, apologies for taking so long, gotta love RL. She just loves butting in, doesn't she?

Thank you to those that still read this fic and especially those who leave reviews/comments and have added faves and alerts.

I'm Gonna Need My Boxers Back Too

# # #

Kono Kalakaua's House  
>Kaneohe, Oahu<p>

Kono is loath to move. Despite the sticky heat and the incredible, almost oppressive warmth of the body pressed up behind her. _Steve_. Spooning against her back with his arm draped heavily across her lower torso. The bed-sheet has fallen low around her waist, exposing her breasts and yet she feels anything but immodest. After all the things they did last night, covering up is the last thing on her mind right now.

What she is thinking about, is nothing short of a freak-out. Mostly it's along the lines of – _holy shit, holy fucking shit._ But of all the people she's worked with, within Five-0 and outside of it, falling in love with Steve was of course going to be a given. He's kind of a bad-ass and handsome to boot. Not to mention he has a good heart and is a standup, honest kind of man.

So, love.

Because yeah – that's what it is, she's in love. Maybe has been, except she just had no clue. Which sounds about right and seems to be her M.O. Because that's how Kono is, slow to believe in the good things that people like her deserve unless it's pounded into her thick head. Or, unless she's scared shit-less into realizing that she couldn't live without him.

She turns slightly to study Steve's sleeping face and feels that it's just criminal, but she _has_ get up. Besides, she's incredibly thirsty and judging by the pale morning light creeping into her room from the window, they have to get going soon anyway. Freak out or not, she knows she doesn't regret a minute of last night and they somehow need to talk about making whatever it is between them work. Because she resolutely believes that it will and, because she wants it to.

Lifting the thin sheet from her bare form, she gently disengages herself from Steve's grasp and he just flips over, still in a deep, contented sleep. Kono suppresses a soft snort, stands and makes her way out of the bedroom. Once in the hallway she puts on the first article of clothing she finds on the floor – Steve's t-shirt. She can't resist inhaling his scent and thinks back to last night, she feels her cheeks flush and shakes her head. Today will be an interesting one, she knows. But she can't help but feel that finally allowing herself to be with Steve was worth it all the same.

Figuring she should make something for them to eat before heading in to work, Kono walks toward her kitchen and absentmindedly picks up his boxers along the way. Putting them on and rolling down the waistband so that it sits low and comfortable on her hips, she puts two pieces of bread in the toaster and gets the coffee maker going. She's about to grab a pair of mugs when she hears a phone ringing and she inadvertently jumps because she's not expecting anyone to call at five-thirty in the morning. But that's a really silly thought, they're Five-0 after all.

Kono contemplates ignoring the damn thing when she remembers what happened the last time she and Steve chose to not answer their phones. She rushes out of the kitchen and starts looking through the piles of clothes on the floor and under the cushions that have 'accidentally' fallen off of the sofa during their 'activities' last night and finally finds her phone under the coffee table. She's on her hands and knees, nervously pushing at the screen when her phone all of a sudden stops ringing.

Fuck.

She reads the display and discovers that it was Chin.

Fuck.

And she's missed the call.

Oops.

"Fuck," she says sitting back on her heels as she stares at the screen. She spots Steve's phone under the sofa and grabs it to check how many calls he's missed as well and it reads something in the double digits and she groans. "Fuck," she says again.

"Hey. Kono?" Steve asks. "What's going on?"

Kono's head pops up and Steve's just standing there, at the entrance to the hallway.

Naked.

Her cheeks flush again and she has to forcefully avert her gaze to focus on his face instead of his – uhm – body. He's rubbing sleep from his eyes and his hair is sticking up in odd angles and she's surprised at herself because she feels a part of her heart melting because he looks that way because of her. The bread in the toaster pops up at that moment, causing Kono to snap out of her observation and she almost resents the appliance for it's timing, except that she kind of loves toast, so she'll forgive the small hunk of metal.

They kind of stay like that for a bit, looking at each other, small smiles tugging at both of their lips. Steve in an early morning haze, not to mention the unfamiliar surroundings and the lack of clothing, which he quickly realizes Kono is wearing some part of. He likes the way she looks in his clothes.

It's Kono that moves first, feeling a dull ache forming in her bum knee due to her position on the floor and she holds up the phones and smirks as she moves to get up.

"Oh," Steve says, immediately understanding. He shakes his head as he steps around the sofa to stand in front of her. He takes his phone and looks at the display and arches a brow, then he takes her phone, reads the screen and snorts. "We're kind of screwed aren't we?" he asks, though he's smiling crookedly.

"Yeah. Danny and Chin are having conniptions right about now," Kono says as she watches Steve put the phones down onto the edge of the sofa. "I guess we should get ready," she says as if she can no longer delay the inevitable.

Steve catches on and is admittedly a little reluctant to get going as well, especially with the way she looks right now. But he really just wants to reassure her. "Hmm. It'll be fine, you know that right," he says, meaning it.

"Yeah. I know," she responds, leaning forward slightly as Steve's arms encircle her waist, pulling her closer. He's turning them and taking all of her weight until he falls into a seated position onto her sofa, with Kono in his lap. He's smiling as Kono laughs softly and then kisses her, long, lazy and simmering with possession.

She can feel him stir again through the thin cloth of his boxers and she grins into his mouth, undulating her hips slightly and eliciting a low groan from Steve. He wraps his arms around her tighter and mumbles something about needing his t-shirt back. His hands are lifting his shirt up and off of her and causes them to break apart momentarily before Steve's lips quickly find their way to back to hers, then behind her ear and down to her neck. Kono is biting the inside of her cheek and letting her eyes drift shut at the sensations threatening to overwhelm her when she notices that Steve's lips have stopped working their magic and she has no choice but to open her eyes and look at him.

"I'm gonna need my boxers back too," Steve says, suggestively, his eyes focused on her mouth and her lips.

Kono grins again, this time bigger. "You're going to have to take them yourself," she says in a breathy whisper.

Steve's eyes shoot back to hers as she stands and darts to the dresser to pull out another condom. When she gets back to him, he helps her shed his boxers and Kono takes in the sight of him. He's so eager already and so is she, if the dampness she feels between her legs is any indication. She straddles Steve's sitting form and sheaths him so quickly with the condom that he jumps and she has to smirk at how sensitive he is.

There's a flicker of competitiveness in Steve's eyes as his hands move from her thighs up to her hips to grip and guide her onto him just as quickly and she gasps in surprise. Steve watches as Kono's eyes roll back and he just wants to thrust his hips forward and release himself but she reaches out to steady him with a firm grip on his shoulders.

"Why don't you let me do all the work?" Kono asks, her voice low as she gulps. "After all," she says, smiling wickedly. "You had a really busy night." Kono punctuates her last statement with a purposeful rock of her hips and this time it's Steve's eyes that roll back as he nods in acquiescence.

Kono watches as Steve lets his head drop onto the back of the sofa and she begins to set a pace that quickens almost immediately. Fuck her self control right now. She squeezes her eyes shut as she grabs onto his shoulders and she continues to crash her hips onto his. She feels his warm lips on her neck again, his teeth nipping lightly at the sensitive spot behind her ear and – shit, fuck, fuck. "Unh, God, Steve," she moans breathlessly as she comes, dragging the tips of her fingers across the nape of his neck.

Steve stills and Kono realizes that he hasn't joined her yet. When she leans back and opens her eyes, Steve's hooded gaze is so intense and hot – and not the heated, pissed off kind of 'hot'. More like the wrecked and ruined, for her and only her, kind. He's leaning backward slightly as he wraps his arms tighter around her causing her to arch against him. He's panting raggedly, and then she feels him thrust upward and her breath catches and she wonders what the fuck is he actually doing to her? And once again, she's on that precipice, teetering so precariously to the edge.

"Oh God," Kono says as she wraps her arms around his neck. And Steve starts to push up into her, setting a rhythm that has her instantly breathless all over again. She's gasping, her thighs are burning, quivering with each shove that when Steve finally comes, grunting from the exertion, Kono comes again and finds herself actually grunting along with him. Screw being ladylike. It all feels too good to worry about propriety. Then again, fucking Steve, who happens to also be her boss, is a middle-fingered salute to propriety, thank you very much.

# # #

A/N: Thanks for reading, again. Let me know what you all think. I'm really trying to not lose momentum on this fic, though I kind of have. I'm working on it, aside from constantly threatening my muse, I'm hoping to write short drabbles or something to help get the juices flowing better. After all, Lori's gone right? And there's been plenty of Steve/Kono scenes to play with...wish me luck, if any are good, I may post, or if anyone has any ideas for super short oneshots, please help a poor girl out and kick them this way...


	7. Sometimes, You Act Like A Neanderthal

Fear, Not Love

Disclaimer: I do not own H50.

Spoilers: Ko'olauloa, S1:Ep6 – to know who Kawika is; Ho'ohuli Na'au, S1:Ep22 – to know who Charlie Fong and Kelly Hsu are.  
>Summary: Steve's "apparent death" elicits certain feelings: some strong, some not so much, some slow burning. SteveKono at the heart of it, but some Danny moments thrown in for good measure, as well as Lori and Chin.

A/N: I got nothing really. Except sincerest apologies and that if you're still following this story after MONTHS of inactivity, then you dear reader should be commended. Thank you.

Sometimes, You Act Like A Neanderthal

# # #

Kono Kalakaua's House  
>Kaneohe, Oahu<p>

"Tell me you don't think this was a bad idea," Kono prods Steve as she's pulling at her sheets and tidying up her bed. Sure she's pretty certain how she feels about him, but that doesn't mean she still won't second guess herself like crazy, she did after all sleep with Steve.

_Her boss._

She's got jeans and a tank-top on and her hair's still damp from her in-record-time shower that would put most military personnel he's worked with, as well as himself to shame. He's on the other side of the mattress helping, freshly showered too with a t-shirt and trademark cargo pants on, gathering the pillows, laying them side by side then pulling the comforter over them.

"I can do more than that," Steve says, giving one last tug on the blankets and making his way around the bed to stand before her. "I can tell you, for a fact, that it was a great idea – about damn time too." He senses something different in the normally confident and strong woman before him and can't help but worry. "Hey, I don't regret any of it. You got me?" he asks because he wants to reassure her.

Kono's admittedly a little skeptical and crosses her arms across her front to study him and the expression in his impossibly blue eyes as they focus on her. "You're sure?" This moment she fears is nearing the _it's not you, it's me_ zone and she's surprised at herself. Didn't she just come to the conclusion that she was in love with him?

Steve snorts because this conversation can go either of two ways – she's an open book and is clearly giving him an out. But, maybe he doesn't want it. If he says 'it was a mistake', she could move on, hold her head high with the memory of a one night stand with her boss that ended amicably. But, if he says that 'it was worth it', that 'he wanted it', 'wants to be with her', then the ball would be in her court and she would be able to feel in control of whatever it was between them.

He moves closer and rests his hands on her hips. Steve's truthfully a little surprised at Kono. The smart, strong, self assured woman that he's come to know appears doubtful. Not nervous or guilty or repentant. Just slightly – doubtful. His feelings aren't hurt, he's just concerned, because he gets why she's suddenly second guessing fucking him.

But Steve meant what he said and hopes that Kono gets it. Especially because he doesn't regret a single moment. He would never. The smell of her, the taste of her mouth and her skin, the feel of her pressed up against him, moving below him and around him, the sound of her breathing in the throes of her orgasm and the way her voice breaks into a moan when she finally plummets off of that peak – he would be a fool to give any of that up, much less regret ever experiencing it. So, _yes_. Emphatically, _yes_. "I'm sure," he says, with conviction.

Kono is still eyeballing Steve as his hands momentarily tighten on her hips and she grins at him. "Okay," she says finally.

"Yeah?" he asks, secretly happy that he was able to convince her so easily.

Kono nods and moves away from him to exit her bedroom. "Yeah, because if it's time to face the music, I ain't planning on going it alone," she says.

Steve chuckles as he follows her out. "Yeah, you're right. But just so I know – how _big_ is your family exactly?" he asks as he quickly picks up his things.

Kono just laughs, her eyes lighting up as she nods at him. The unspoken agreement is that they'd drive in to work separately and as they finally make their way out her front door, Steve realizes that he's still got Kono's phone. He's about to hand it to her when it starts to ring for maybe the third – shit, maybe fifth time that morning. Charlie Fong's name appears on the screen and a completely irrational surge of jealously shoots through him, catching him off guard. He almost doesn't hand it over to her. But she's already pushing him out of the door and prying the phone out of his hands when they discover that Chin's on her front lawn scrutinizing the both of them.

And funny enough, the first thing out of Steve and Kono's mouths are, "we can explain."

Chin can't help his surprise and arches his brows, his gaze jumping from Kono to Steve and then back to his younger cousin because he's not there on her front lawn for the reason they think he is.

Yet.

But that conversation can of course wait till later.

Kono's phone continues to ring and she looks from the display, seeing Charlie's name, to Chin's face and the worried expression he seems to be wearing. "Cuz?" she asks.

Chin can see the gears working in Kono's head, he knows that she's starting to put something together in her mind and so he says, "it's Kelly. There was a B and E at her place," he says somberly.

Steve's scanning his memory and recalls Kelly, as in Charlie's cousin, _Kelly. _As in Kono's childhood friend, _Kelly._ As in _Kelly_ who made Kono and Charlie play seven minutes in heaven, _Kelly. That, _Kelly.

Shit.

But that's all the explanation Kono needs, she slams her front door shut and runs with Chin back to his car as they make to head over to her friend's home. She knows, she doesn't need to say a word to Steve, and the look he gives her is enough to know that he's right behind her. She can see him hitting his speed dial for Danny and she answers her phone as well, finally acknowledging Charlie's phone-call.

"We're on our way Charlie," is all that she says as she hops into Chin's car.

# # #

Waimanalo  
>Oahu<p>

Upon arriving at Kelly's house, Steve doesn't bother to hide his discomfort at finding Kono and Charlie embracing. He knows that she's just reaching out to Charlie, in a way reassuring him and maybe partly, herself. It's that second part where Steve finds himself instantly on edge and it's probably the second time in one day – one morning, that he feels that unwanted, ridiculous surge of jealousy coursing through him.

It's totally uncalled-for because, yeah, _childhood friends_, remember?

Whatever. Steve doesn't like it and he doesn't exactly know if he makes it so obvious so he focuses on the house instead and Kelly.

He's being an asshole, he knows.

Especially because Kelly's now on a gurney and being wheeled towards an awaiting ambulance. Charlie breaks away and follows Chin to walk alongside Kelly as does Kono. Chin's gently asking questions as Charlie holds Kelly's hand on the one side and Kono is on the other. Charlie's doing his best and offers what support he can because despite the fact that Kelly fought off her attacker, the bastard apparently still got some hits in. Kelly's barely able to talk, her left eye is swollen shut. The girl's got a bloody lip and multiple abrasions all over her face and who knows where else along her body. But it appears, lucky for Kelly, her attacker never finished the job. And truthfully, even more lucky for her, Charlie checked on her because they usually commute into town together – and when his cousin never answered his call, he stopped by anyway.

Charlie climbs into the bus with Kelly, and Kono and Chin help close the doors so that the ambulance can make it's way towards Waimanalo Health Center. It's the closest, but Chin's going to call Malia anyway at Honolulu Medical Center, for Kono's peace of mind and maybe a bit of his own.

Danny and Lori are already in Kelly's house, going over with the responding unit what went down and Steve tries to focus on the task at hand but finds it worrisome that he has no idea where Kono disappeared to.

He finds her a few minutes later, in the back garden, studying a broken screen at Kelly's back door with a technician. Steve doesn't want to alarm her but what he finds in the house is disconcerting. He knows, he's come home to house ripped into a shambles. To think that someone on his team experienced something so violating angers him and he honestly can't begin to imagine what Kono's feeling.

It's certainly not the first time that Steve feels helpless. It's the worse feeling in the world. And a glimpse of Kono's face tells him that maybe she thinks that too.

Steve tries to reach for her, ignoring the fact that the technician is still there. It doesn't surprise him really, when she stalks away angrily from his initial attempt to touch her and ease her distress. His soft calling of her name, falls on deaf ears.

But Steve follows her anyway, towards the side of the small home. He gets why she's angry, she blames herself for not being there sooner for something she had no control over. God knows he's done the same. Steve walks up behind Kono and does the only thing he can think of at the moment to soothe her. He slips a hand onto her hip on the inside of her gun holster, his thumb sliding easily under the hem of her blouse to feel her warm, silky skin. Leaning in, he whispers into her hair, "it'll be okay, we'll get him."

And by some miracle, Kono believes him. She relaxes a little, her shoulders dropping slightly as some of the tension and stress of wanting justice and to find Kelly's attacker, eases. But her body reacts entirely differently to Steve's breath on her hair and his proximity. She can't help the shiver and apparently Steve notices, but his only acknowledgment is a gentle squeeze on her hip and then he's gone.

As he's walking back to check with Danny and Lori, Steve doesn't think twice about the intimate gesture he just shared with Kono and frankly he doesn't really care if anyone has seen it. But his eyes find Chin watching him curiously from the back of the house before heading over to his cousin to offer her some kind of support or advice.

# # #

Waimanalo Health Center  
>Oahu<p>

Three.

That's three times in one day that Steve finds himself succumbing to that stupid green-eyed monster. Fuck. What the hell is wrong with him?

This is beyond wrong, but all he can focus on is the fact that another man – _not Charlie –_ has his arms wrapped around Kono. Of all things to zero in on and of all the times to feel insecure. Steve's not dumb, he knows they're all friends. Kawika is offering and receiving support and comfort for what just happened to his ex-girlfriend, Kelly. Who knew? Steve's even met and worked with Kawika before. _This_ is not a big deal.

And yet, it is.

First it was Charlie. Now, it's Kawika.

These people, these men are her friends. He gets that Kono's known them for some time, before him. Since childhood in one case, so there is absolutely no reason for his unnecessary thoughts of jealousy. Kono after all did choose him – in a way. If you call inviting him in and fucking him silly as a way of marking a person's territory then, yeah – consider him branded. Besides he chose her too. He would have chosen her the first day he met her, had he still not been seeing Catherine.

Seriously? What? Suddenly he's questioning his manhood, his sense of self because he slept with Kono? Fuck it all, it's more than just sleeping with her. Who was he kidding?

It's clearly so much more.

Huh – how about that?

Steve's thoughts are interrupted by a loud clearing of a throat and he notices that Danny's eyeballing him big time. The little guy looks kind of crazy, actually.

"What?" Steve asks, not bothering to hide how irritable he's feeling.

"What?" Danny asks back as if it's obvious why. "Un-fucking-believable. How about you tell me _what_ is with the aneurysm face?"

Steve just rolls his eyes and tears his gaze away from Kono and Kawika to finally pin Danny with a look of his own. "Fuck Danny, how many times? How many times do I have to tell you that I don't have an aneurysm face, huh?!" he exclaims, purposefully snapping at his partner.

Danny of course doesn't back down, or flinch for that matter. "You do and you know it," the shorter man replies just as aggressively. Then as if finally getting it, his eyes turn towards Kono and Kawika, who have now stepped apart. "Wait, hang on just one second," he says, glancing away from the pair to contemplate Steve. "Did you sleep with her?"

"What?"

"Did. You. Sleep. With. Kono?" Danny asks, stepping into Steve's line of sight, effectively blocking his view of Kono and Kawika. "It's not my place or business, but I seem to recall warning you against this, _this_ very thing. Do you remember that?" Danny asks, though he's got a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. No wonder Steve hadn't answered his phone all morning_._

"I do."

Steve's succinct answer is more telling for Danny than anything. The blonde man drops his head and can't help but pinch the bridge of his nose, a clear display of his method for dealing with stress. "You didn't listen, did you?" Danny asks, already knowing the answer, looking at Steve once more.

Steve doesn't really reply because something's shifted behind Danny. His gaze snaps away from his partner to focus on Charlie emerging from Kelly's room. And oddly enough, seeing Charlie bristle at Kawika's presence comforts him, if only briefly because suddenly all hell breaks loose.

Steve always thought of Charlie as so easy-going, but suddenly Charlie is pulling Kono away and a whole lot of shouting erupts between the two men. Kono gets between them and Steve and Danny finally spring into action. There's more yelling and shoving and Steve's letting his frustration at seeing Kono getting held by men other than himself dictate his actions. A fist swings out, there's a connection to the side of someone's head, more yelling ensues, as well as repeated shoving, a tackle is thrown in and then a sharp whistle pierces the air and everyone freezes.

Kono's the only one standing erect at this point, her fingers still poised between her lips. Charlie and Danny are in the middle of pulling Steve off of Kawika, and if the whole situation weren't so sad and pathetic, it would actually be comical. But it isn't. Kono drops her hand and her chest is heaving as she's shaking from so much anger that she doesn't know what to do with herself.

"Do you all honestly think, that this is what Kelly needs right now?" she asks, her voice low, trembling with rage.

"Kono -" Charlie and Kawika start simultaneously but she's over it. She spins on her heel and stalks off down the hospital corridor. Kawika's still on the floor with a bloody nose and Danny and Charlie get pushed to the side as Steve rushes to catch up with her.

Steve reaches her in four full strides and grabs her arm, intending to embrace her but he's caught off guard by the force with which she yanks herself free. "What the fuck?!" Kono asks as she steps back, well out of reach.

"Hold up. Are you okay?" Steve's got that she's pissed. In the year and a half that he's worked with Kono, she's hardly ever been angry. But you definitely knew when she was. And this time, Kono was downright livid.

"Am I okay? Am I? What about Kelly? What the hell is with you guys?" Kono asks Steve desperately, she's flailing her arm about, clearly indicating that she was referencing all of them.

Charlie's pulled up Kawika and they shrug like chastised little boys. Danny's got his hands on his hips and looks at the two men next to him before turning his gaze back to Kono, sighing heavily. But she's glaring at Steve and so Danny holds a hand out in front of the two men, indicating that they should back off, for the time being. The make themselves scarce, Charlie goes back into Kelly's room and Danny and Kawika disappear down the hall, seeking help for the latter's bloody and possibly broken nose.

Steve watches them all drop out of sight before focusing on the woman before him. And what he sees when his eyes settle on hers causes his chest to clench. Kono's not just angry, she's remorseful. And sad. And the next words out of her mouth catch him by surprise.

"Maybe it – us – was a mistake after all," she says, simply.

His knee-jerk reaction is to argue in response. But, he can see how much what happened to her friend weighs so much on her. Kono's hurting and angry and frustrated at what happened just moments ago down the hallway and his behavior hasn't helped any.

When he doesn't say anything, Kono says, "don't think I missed the stink-eyes you were throwing at Charlie and Kawika. I saw all of it. You picked a hell of a time to be overprotective and jealous."

Steve wants to hug her so badly he does, forgetting how she pushed him away just minutes ago. He folds her into his embrace and whispers into her hair, "I'm sorry for being such an asshole."

Kono lets herself be comforted and clings to the front of his t-shirt and mumbles something unintelligible.

When he pulls away and looks down into her gloomy expression, he's unable to shake the unease that's immediately come over him. "What?" he asks.

"I said – maybe it was a bad idea," Kono reiterates, gulping, her gaze upon him unwavering.

He feels as if the world's suddenly stopped spinning, slipping off of it's axis.

Kono sees Steve's face fall but doesn't let it deter her. "Us," she continues. "Because, I don't need all this drama. Not right now. Not with Kelly being attacked like that."

Steve takes a step back and places his hands on his hips. "Is that what you really want?" he asks.

She gulps again, feeling her throat dry out like the West-side of Oahu, in the middle of summer. "Yeah. Yes."

He clears his throat, working his jaw and decides to drag his gaze away to study the tiles on the floor. "Because I overreacted?"

Kono shakes her head. "It's not just that. What happens when Danny and Chin find out?"

Steve's head pops up and he looks at her, his brows furrowed. "I thought we were going to 'face the music together'?" he asks, echoing her words from the morning. Then, "besides, Danny already knows."

Kono arches a brow. "Yeah? How'd that go?" She didn't miss the heated conversation the partners had in the hallway before the drama began either.

He tilts his head, conceding. "Not so good," he confesses.

At this, Kono can't hold in a derisive snort. "Well, I can guarantee that it'll pretty much be the same with Chin and the rest of the family, then," she says.

Steve exhales heavily. "You know this for a fact? What? You don't even want to try? That's not like you."

"I just – Danny's right about you sometimes. You acted like a neanderthal," Kono says, hating the way she sounds so defensive. But, that seems to do the trick.

Steve straightens and quickly masks his sudden anger and hurt. "Look, I'm not going to argue with you about this, not now, not like this. You want the space. Fine," he says.

She looks surprised because she expected more of a fight from him. Maybe it was all too much to deal with – Waipahu and thinking they lost Steve, Danny and Grace's abduction, and now Kelly? Fuck. "Fine. Good," Kono says, unconvincingly. She was never so unsure of anything in her life.

# # #

A/N: I've been away from this for so long, I'm not sure I'm on the right track – especially because I'm making Steve and Kono work for their relationship. Again. Ha. Anyway, let me know what you all think.


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